Revenge's Unexpected Treasure
by Pyaari1381
Summary: Set right after Sasuke's fight with Itachi...Madara fails to convince Sasuke to help  him capture the last remaining bijuu. Sasuke is determined to have his revenge and no one is going to stop him! Not even Konoha's 'Number One Unpredictable Ninja'-MPREG
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any other character of the franchise. This is just fanfic to sooth the soul (at least it's meant to) and not for profit. In addition some of the dialogue and scenarios from the anime have been used in this piece and copyright belongs to Masahi sensei and the Anime's script writers  
><strong>Warnings<strong>: Yaoi, Future Mpreg (so if it aint your thing please move on and dont flame),really crap writing and grammar coz it isn't beta'd coz i dont know how to get it done (i know, i iz kind dumb). In addition **MAJOR ***Spoiler Alert for Itachi and Sasuke. Read at your own peril!

Ps: This is my first fanfic ever so any criticism is more that welcome (constructive, that is! ).Enjoy

**The Beginning of the End**

_Loneliness, agony, pain, fear, anger, grief, helplessness and an unquenchable thirst for revenge were all familiar feelings to him. All he'd ever known, since that horrifying day his brother had brutally murdered their parents and massacred their whole clan in cold blood. These feelings were what had driven him to betray his village, abandon his comrades and friends. But worst of all, these feelings had led him to a death battle at the Valley of the End where he had almost killed his best friend and the only person who remotely came close to understanding him. All in his quest for power. _

_He had thought he'd understood, then, what grief and desolation meant as he walked away from his defeated friend, who'd now become an enemy. In some corner of his mind, hidden deep within his conscience, he'd been relieved that he had not given in fully to those feelings, and the taunts of his brother that had replayed over and over in his mind... urging him to kill his closest friend so that he could activate the Mangekyo Sharingan. However, deflect from his village he had... **and of his own will**... therefore he'd unequivocally severed his ties with Konoha... and Naruto. He'd grieved then,...his heart bleeding at the thought of loosing Naruto, but his desire to kill Itachi and avenge his lost clan had meant more to him, driving him forward to Orochimaru and his destiny as the avenger. _

_However, as he processed the information ,the masked man he'd come to know as Uchiha Madara, had given him, he felt his whole world shatter. A pain and sense of betrayal sharper than he'd felt when he'd seen his brother standing over the bloodied corpses of their parents, tore at his heart , shredding it to pieces as if it were a ferocious beast. He clawed at his neck, struggling to breathe as the sheer enormity of what he'd done hit him like a sledge hammer to the chest. The cave like room they were in started to spin as his vision went in and out of focus. He could barely hear the other man's voice, as he urged him to breathe. Memories of what had happened earlier came rushing before his mind's eye ... Itachi's taunts,Tsukuyomi Amaterasu, Kirin, Susano'o... finally leading to Itachi's bloodied fingers tapping his forehead gently, sadness and regret reflected in his dark weary eyes... 'Sorry Sasuke. This is it'. _

_A feral scream full of wretched and utter despair tore out of his chest and he felt his body fall, still weak, desperately trying to recuperate from the damage it had suffered at the hands of his now deceased brother . As the light and the world faded from his eyes, one thought remained steadfast in his mind as he lost consciousness. Konoha would pay dearly!_

**Konoha**

_'We've done everything we can. Let's head back...to Konoha'_

Naruto woke up in a cold sweat. His room was still dark, even though the incessant chirping of birds outside his window signalled the beginning of daybreak. **His room, **he realised with a pang; they were back in Konoha. It had been a week since they'd returned from their failed mission to capture the Uchiha and bring him home

They'd been so close this time, he thought as he groaned out loud, the sound muffled by the pillow he'd stuffed his face in, in a fit of exasperation. They had been so close to bringing Sasuke back home that it had almost killed him when they'd lost his trail. He remembered the sense of desperation he had felt as Sasuke's scent and chakra faded into nothingness in the rain. There had been no trail to follow, no clue as to where their former comrade had vanished to. He 'd seen his feelings mirrored in the the eyes of his team-mates, as he'd read frustration and sadness, when they'd regrouped back at the Uchiha ruins. The blonde teen had heard the defeat in Kakashi's voice as he ordered his team back to Konoha; the boy finally and reluctantly acknowledging that his friend had yet again eluded them and escaped their clutches.

Naruto felt like he was going to cry. He still couldn't understand why Sasuke had disappeared and hadn't come back home when it was clear that Itachi was dead . Although the Amaterasu flames and Tobi's interference had stopped them from reaching the fight and Sasuke, Zetsu's feedback had informed them of the elder Uchiha brother's it was only sensible for Sasuke to come home now. He had achieved what he'd set out to do. Sasuke had left to kill Itachi and avenge the massacre of the Uchiha clan, at the expense of his village, comrades and friends. Itachi was dead...and as far as Naruto was concerned, that was all done and dusted.

Of course he knew the village would not welcome Sasuke back with open arms. Konoha's elders did not take too kindly to rogue ninjas who deflected and risked the security of the village. However, Naruto, as well as everyone else involved knew that Sasuke , unlike any other rogue ninja who would've immediately been disposed of when captured or imprisoned indefinitely if they surrendered, was for all intents and purposes the last remaining Uchiha; one of the oldest and half of the founding clans of the village of Konohagakure. The Uchiha could not be disposed of easily as he had the sole responsibility of reviving his clan. To the elders and other clan leaders, Sasuke's crimes were nothing, when weighed against the need for the Uchiha clan's revival and everyone knew it . Naruto, as a fellow member of team 7, exclusively knew that this reason was also another one of Sasuke's goals that he had yet to achieve .

SO WHERE THE HELL IS THAT DAMN BASTARD ? Naruto screamed and cursed inwardly at the image of his ruthless and cold-hearted friend that he'd conjured up in his mind, as he tossed and turned on his rumpled bed covers.

'He should be here in Konoha getting ready to make babies with one, or two or even all of his fan girls for all I care ,' Naruto thought angrily, ' well...except for Sakura-chan of course' he added when the idea of Sasuke and Sakura making babies together sent cold shivers down his spine, though he didn't know why. Perhaps it because he had a crush on Sakura...

Or was it another reason altogether... ?

He was so caught up in his mental rantings that he noticed too late, after a particularly violent toss, that he'd over estimated the width of his single bed. Thus Konoha's most infamous, 'Number One Unpredictable' blonde-haired ninja started out his day with a nasty bump on his head and a sore and bruised tooshie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**Same as previous , do not own Sasuke and Naruto ( wish I did tho).Copyright exclusively Masashi-sensei's.

**Warnings: **Massive Spoiler alert Sasuke and Itachi, read at your own peril. The usual Shounen Ai/ Yaoi (no like no ready), Future Mpreg and character OOC (though i tried really hard not to)

I apologise in advance for bad plot, grammar and spellings. constructive criticism MUCH appreciated.

**Surprise News  
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Uchiha Sasuke sat on top of a gigantic skeletal structure facing a massive wall that stretched expansively around him. There were various and random openings spread haphazardly on the wall; entrances to the maze-like catacombs that made up Madara and the surviving members of Akatsuki's hideout.

However, the boy's attention and interest were neither to the massive wall nor its varying access points. Leaning back on the palms of his hands, his knees raised and feet flat on the spine of the structure, he stared absently at the pregnant moon shining brightly above him, a contemplative look pasted on his pale face.

Although he looked completely absorbed in his thoughts, he noticed a slight movement from behind, a sign of someone approaching him despite the fact that the new arrival had made no sound. Ninjas were naturally suspicious people, always ready for an ambush or vice-versa. As a ninja, one never let their guard down in case of an enemy attack and although the one who approached him was an enemy, he wasn't particularly bothered by it, choosing instead, to completely ignore him. He neither moved nor showed any sign of acknowledgement, even though the new arrival knew he'd been detected.

"What are you doing ?" asked the the deep monotonous voice he'd come to associate with Madara , " The preparations are already complete" he added, as he moved nearer to the seated youth.

The dark haired boy smirked slightly at the statement but continued to ignored the much older man, who now stood next to where he sat. Despite Madara's revelations, Sasuke did not fully trust the man and couldn't bring himself to care for the other man's plans. He simply refused to be a pawn for another deranged lunatic like he'd been for Orochimaru .Therefore he focused on staring at the moon in silence.

Madara followed Sasuke's gaze to the big ball of luminous light that shone in the otherwise dark and starless sky. It was a magnificent sight to behold , the masked man thought to himself. He understood perfectly, Sasuke's trance-like fascination for the glowing orb, as he too sensed the sheer hypnotic power it exuded. It was as if Sasuke intrinsically knew what he had planned for the future. If he did, Madara would not be surprised, he mused with a chuckle . The kid was an Uchiha after all and a worthy one to boot. However it was not the time to be drawn into leisurely thoughts, so he turned to repeat what he'd just said but before he could, Sasuke spoke , cutting him off

"When I look at the full moon, I have memories of that night," he started, with a dead tone to his voice that complimented the small cold and mirthless smile which played on his face, "As well as..."

He hesitated, turning to Madara, staring into his masked face with dead dull eyes. Although Madara was the only one, between the two, wearing a mask , the lack of expression on Sasuke's exquisitely handsome alabaster features, reminded him of masks. And though Sasuke did not wear one, his hardened, inexpressive face had become a mask, hiding whatever deep dark secrets and thoughts he did not want to share with the rest of the world. Masks were a generic trait in the Uchiha , Madara concluded with an amused chuckle to himself . He did not, however, say anything turning his gaze back to the sky, sensing that the boy had more to say

"...the memories I tried so hard to forget," Sasuke continued, still staring at Madara although his focus had shifted, as if Madara wasn't there and he was talking to someone else, "...I can remember things about Itachi...faint and fleeing memories surfacing from deep inside my heart."

Sasuke's voice trailed off as he sank deep into his memories , back to that fateful night where he had lost everything.

_He remembered facing his brother in the main street of the Uchiha complex. Fear, despair, betrayal wrecked his little body, the emotions so strong they'd almost choked him. He stood there panting and gasping as he stared into the cold dark eyes of his brother. There'd also been a desperate need...a need to understand why his brother had done something so horrific...a need to understand why a brother who'd been so loving to him and his parents , could've killed them in such a gruesome manner... a need to understand why he, Itachi, the Uchiha's most accomplished prodigy had had to stoop so low as to commit genocide_

"_...Run, and keep running " Itachi had said with a snarl , his Mangekyo Sharingan activated, red __and bleeding , "Cling to your pitiful life. And one day when you have eyes like mine, come before __me!". _

_He remembered chasing after Itachi attacking him with anything he could find, rocks, stones, shuriken and kunai knives that had buried themselves in the walls as their owners had tried, in vain, to defend themselves against impending doom. His brother had been too strong for him and had swatted away his feeble attacks with simple ease. Despite his weakness Sasuke managed to knock Itachi's forehead protector from his head. Sasuke had felt his_ _energy suddenly give and he collapsed onto his knees, his hands flat on the ground supporting and struggling to keep him up. Standing a few feet away from him, Itachi bent to pick up his forehead protector and placed it back on his head. Turning to look at his younger brother for the last time, a tear fell from his eye; before he turned away and vanished into thin air._

The sudden insight gained, induced by the memory of that particular moment, shook him with surprise and an intense feeling of agony. In all the years he'd re-lived the memory of that night to fuel his determination for revenge, he had failed to notice two minor but crucial details his young mind had witnessed and stored in the back of his mind.

It all made sense to him now, he thought to himself disdainfully. He knew then, for certain, that Madara had not lied.

Itachi had bent to pick up his forehead protector...Itachi had cried...

Sasuke had been quite young and exhausted back then but the details were still clearly etched in his mind. A ninja who had betrayed his village had no need for his forehead protector. The fact that Itachi had put his back on, only confirmed the truth that Madara had told him. Itachi had not betrayed his village, but had proven his loyalty to it by slaying his own clan. The reason Sasuke was even alive was that in exchange for his brother's life Itachi had himself declared a traitor to keep his mission for the elders of Konoha a secret.

Konoha was the reason his clan was dead!

Konoha was the reason his parents were dead!

Konoha was the reason he had killed his brother with his own two hands .

FUCKING Konoha was the reason he was all alone!

Sasuke slowly shifted his body into a meditative stance crossing his legs and folding them beneath his bottom. His red eyes narrowed as he tilted his head to glare intensely at the moon , his pale hands shaking with indescribable fury. Sasuke swore to himself as an Uchiha and an avenger that he would destroy Konoha if it was the last thing he'd ever do. Sensing the change in Sasuke disposition, Madara turned to head back into the catacombs. He had a good feeling his night was only going to get better

_What will you do?' asked the masked man when they'd all assembled in one of the caves that served as a conference room... 'Will you join Akatsuki?"_

_" No. Taka's goal now is to destroy Konoha"..._

_The masked man was no happy with the response, but he kept his peace. He would bide his time_

_" You can say what you want but how do you plan on destroying Konoha"_

_"How I go about my business does not concern you, but if you must know ...I have a plan"_

**Two weeks later... Konoha**

Naruto had hardly slept a wink the previous night and it was way before daybreak when he'd leapt out of his bed , knowing full well that there was no chance of him ever going back to sleep. The young blond decided that he would get himself ready, instead, for when Sakura came to pick him up . Knowing Sakura, Naruto figured she'd have spent a restless night pacing back and forth in her room, replaying the recent news they'd received over and over in her mind and hardly getting any sleep at all. Not that he would blame her if she hadn't cause he'd felt the same way, if his sleep deprived baggy eyes were anything to go by . He found it difficult to dress, struggling to zip up his black and orange tracksuit jumper over his black t-shirt and protective wire mesh vest, his fingers shaking from barely contained excitement .How he'd got bottoms and sandals on was still a mystery to him.

The day had finally arrived... the day that he and Sakura's had prayed for, for three long years. The day their greatest wish would come true.

Sasuke was coming back home...

Sasuke was coming back home to Konoha and Naruto'd never ever let him leave again, Naruto swore to himself vehemently .

Mind you, it was still quite hard to grasp that their long search had finally come to and end. Naruto chuckled as he remembered the day he first heard the news...

**Flashback (Three days earlier)**

Naruto-6 ... Konohamaru- 3

" Ne, Naruto-niichan... just how DO you do it?" asked an amazed Konohamaru, at he assessed the level of damage his latest bout with Naruto had caused. All together twelve victims lay sprawled on the ground, passed out from extreme blood loss .

Arms raised, hands clasped behind his head, Naruto 's eyes followed Konohamaru's gaze, admiring the beauty or in this case, the bloody result of their battle. A smug goofy grin grew, almost splitting his golden tanned face in half , his cerulean eyes dancing in merriment and with ill concealed mirth. He had excelled himself this time, he thought, and so had his protégée (though he wouldn't let the boy know, least he got a big head) .

And people said his Oroike no Jutsu was a dud!

" That should teach ya to mess with me gaki! You're thousand years too early to be challenging me 'tebayo"

Konohamaru pouted at that.

"We'll I almost had you, kore. Until you pulled that weird thing with the two girls, limbs all tangled up, " he said crossly, " mind you one of your clones was even doing a head stand ! I didn't even know that people could even bend that way, kore!".

Naruto laughed at that .

"Weeeell, when ya travel with someone as pervy as Ero-Sennin for three years, ya see lotsa weird things an' stuff that's a whole lot crazier than 'The Head Game'*. An' trust me, some of tha' stuff I saw when we were doin' 'research' , had me sufferin' from cold sweats for a month, dattebayo!" he replied with a massive grin and a wink

The younger boy gave Naruto a look that seemed a cross between shock, wonder and pity. Everyone in the village knew that Jiraiya, the Gama Sennin* and one third of the '_Densetsu no Sannin_' *, was a massive pervert who used research for his popular erotic Icha Icha series novels, as an excuse to peek at naked women in hot springs,or simply as a way to unabashedly indulge in various acts of debauchery. Konohamaru could only but imagine the weird stuff Naruto had been exposed to during his travels with the sage. His body gave an involuntary shiver, as the thought sent shivers down his spine. No wonder he couldn't beat Naruto when it came to Sexy no Jutsu. His mind was too corrupt.

"Come on," Naruto interrupted his thoughts, as he swung an arm round Konohamaru's shoulder, "remember, the loser buys the other Ichiraku's ramen," the blonde added ,turning the younger boy around and leading him towards the busy village centre and Ichiraku's ramen stand.

"Yeah I know, I know" mumbled Konohamaru, as both he and Naruto gingerly stepped over the bodies of the pervy men they'd knocked out with their jutsu.

Damn, Konohamaru swore to himself. His loss was going to cost him at least four D rank missions' worth of money. When it came to Ichiraku's ramen, Naruto ate the equivalent of four pregnant women! His mother was definitely going to kill him, he sighed. Strutting beside him, Naruto hummed a cheery tune, buzzing with anticipation at the thought of eating ramen. Glancing at the giddy blond, Konohamaru rolled his eyes. For a genius (t_hat is according to Konohamaru, mind_), Naruto-niichan was pretty predictable.

"OI NARUTOOOOOO..."

Shikamaru stood in front of Ichiraku's, waiving frantically at the two boys, who seeing his animated state, quickened their pace to meet him.

Something serious had happened, Naruto feared , his heart pounding with trepidation. The act of breathing, alone, for Nara Shikamaru was troublesome, let alone shouting and waiving like a lunatic.

One quick glance at Konohamaru's face showed the younger boy shared the same opinion. Something had to have gone wrong to make Shikamaru this agitated. When they reached him, the expression on Shikamaru's face only served to rattle Naruto and his companion more .

For the first time in his life, Shikamaru looked lost. Like he didn't quite understand what was going on and Shikamaru was one of the cleverest people Naruto knew and that scared him.

'Oi Shikamaru, what's wrong" Naruto asked, his voice shaking despite himself. Shikamaru did not answer immediately. He looked at Naruto as if trying to read something in his eyes. Naruto exchanged a quizzical glance with Konohamaru, who shrugged , clearly baffled by Shikamaru's silence.

For someone who'd only been waiving at them frantically and screaming Naruto's name a few seconds earlier, his silence now, did not make sense to both of them. Naruto was starting to get very nervous and he didn't like it.

'Ne Shikamaru 'teba...' he started again, intending to get to the bottom of it, but before he could, Shikamaru cut him off, finally speaking, though his eyes kept searching for something in Naruto's eyes

"Naruto... Godaime wants you in her office as soon as possible"

"What for? " the blond asked, not sure whether to relax or tense. A visit to Tsunade-baba's office did not necessarily mean bad news . Shikamaru hesitated , clearly debating whether or not to say anything to Naruto.

He had not been given instructions to keep information from him, but knowing Naruto's impulsive and impatient nature he was not sure telling him was the greatest course of action. Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion at Shikamaru's hesitation and Konohamaru looked on curiously from one boy to the other.

Why not let the hokage handle it, Shikamaru finally decided. It was her job after all.

Shikamaru's tensed body visibly relaxed when he concluded that this was someone else's problem , namely the Godaime's, and not his

"You'll find out soon enough when you get there. Now hurry up we don't want to keep her know what she's like when people are late" his voice back to its usual lazy drawl. With that Shikamaru nodded to Konohamaru and turned to to head back towards the Hokage tower. Naruto bid Konohamaru a quick farewell to Konohamaru , all thoughts of ramen gone, to follow speedily after Shikamaru, whilst the latter rushed to find his two companions to inform them of a possible scoop for the Konoha Monthly Chronicle.

**Hokage Tower**

"TSUNADE OBACHAAAAAN!"

Tsunade winced when she heard her door bang loudly against the wall as it was forcibly pushed open. Only one person had the insolence to act in such a barbaric manner and he was at that very moment marching into her office, screaming her name at the top of his lungs.

Shikamaru casually followed behind him, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. The damn smug little bastard . She could feel a headache coming on as she shifted slightly in her seat,located behind her big desk covered in towering paperwork .

Lord, did she desperately need a large bottle of sake for what was to come .

Naruto was pissed. Shikamaru had refused to tell him what was going on , although he'd pleaded with him all the way to the tower. Well if he wasn't talking , he was just going to have to ask the old hag.

Naruto noticed, as he'd burst into the Hokage's office, screaming Tsunade's name, that Sakura, Yamato taichou, Sai, Jiraiya and Kakashi sensei were already present. One look at Sakura and the next words died on his lips his previous feeling of trepidation returning in their stead.

The pink haired girl looked weak and pale, her face a blank and emotionless slate. She was being held up by an equally pale Sai, though with the latter Naruto had to wonder if his paleness was due to the news they'd just received, like Sakura, or just a natural state of being. One quick look around the room at everyone else's expressions, and Naruto suddenly felt very scared .

"Oi ya old hag" Naruto aimed for normal banter , though his stomach felt heavy and knotted with anxiety, " what the hell ya call me here for? I missed out on my ramen" he added as he strolled towards Tsunade's desk "an' everyone here's actin' like somebody died or somethin' dattebayo "

Tsunade sighed. Naruto winced

"Naruto, there no easy way for me to say this but I'm just going to come out and say it. Is that okay with you?" she started somberly

Naruto nodded his assent fiercely, though he did not feel as confident

"Go ahead tebayo, ya know I can handle anything ya throw at me" he answered with a huge grin on his face, hand scratching the back of his head.

Inside he was quivering and he could hardly keep his knees from knocking.

"The ANBU have captured Uchiha Sasuke. They'll be bringing him in the day after tomorrow"

Pause. Confusion...

"I beg your pardon?"

"Naruto, Sasuke is coming home" Kakashi reaffirmed, moving from where he was stationed, at window behind the hokage, towards the young blonde.

Naruto felt the room starting to spin and everyone's faces were blurred in and out of focus. Suddenly Naruto's legs buckled beneath him.

"Naruto!"

And then there was nothing

**Present**

A knock on the door jolted Naruto out of his trip down memory lane. He shuddered at the the thought of him fainting in Tsunade's office. So embarrassing. It was bad enough that Sai , Shikamaru and even Sakura had seen him faint like a little girl.

If Sasuke ever found out he'd never here the end of it. The raven haired would end up call him a 'dobe' and 'usuratonkachi' all over again.

Or even worse...Naruto-chan.

Naruto grimaced at the thought. No way in hell would he let Sasuke call him that!

Ah Sasuke...

Thinking of Sasuke made Naruto happy . It was only when the knock on the door became pounding followed by Sakura's threats to leaving him behind did Naruto remember he was meant to be in a hurry.

Yelling a 'Coming Sakura-chan', Naruto quickly fastened on his forehead protector, grabbing his keys and green gama purse, hoping to buy something to eat on the way to the village gate, having missed breakfast.

Risking one last look at team 7's group photo on his bedsite table, Naruto ran to open the door to insults from impatient Sakura and annoying silence from an expressionless Sai. However nothing could bring him down cause Sasuke was coming home...

_And that's all folks (for now...)_

(*The Head Game - A complex sex position, Kama Sutra. *Denstsu no Sannin -Three Legendary Ninjas/ Legendary Three Ninjas) * Gama Sennin -Frog Sage, ero sennin- pervy sage)


	3. Chapter 3

**disclaimer: **dont own naruto but masashi sensei does. if i did though sasuke and naruto would have lotsa uzu-uchiha kits lol

**warnings:** yaoi, mpreg , oocness and really crap unbeta'd writing. again if no likey, no readey. all constructive critism most welcomed

He was finally back...

As Konoha's impressive walls and gates came within sight of Sasuke and his four ANBU captors , his eyes were instinctively drawn to the bright orange clad, blond haired boy who stood out from a small crowd gathered by the gates.

Although he was still too far away to see his face or those of his companions, Sasuke knew the dobe most likely had a goofy grin on his face.

Dobe...

He hadn't called anyone dobe in such a long time, he thought to himself in amusement, a small smirk forming on his face. A warm feeling spread throughout his body...

And then he sensed someone watching him and turned to only realise, too late, that one of his ANBU guards, a female whose face was hidden behind a cat's mask, was staring at him curiously.

Sasuke inwardly berated himself for letting his guard down, forgetting himself and where he was.

He immediately hardened his face, putting on his usual impassive and arrogant expression and then proceeded to ignore the ANBU.

Damn that usuratonkachi.

The idiot always found a way to invade his thoughts, especially now he'd seen him - and it annoyed Sasuke immensely.

He couldn't afford to get distracted... especially by that half wit!

The woman, who he guessed to be quite young, perhaps two or thee years older than him (_which he grudgingly acknowledged since it was not an easy feat for someone so young to attain ANBU status_), continued to stare at him for a while but quickly gave up when he remained impassive.

ANBU or not, that's all you're going to get, he thought smugly.

They soon drew up to the village gates and Sasuke realised, to his astonishment, though he remembered to keep his stolid expression in place, that quite a few more people than he'd anticipated had turned up for his homecoming.

He obviously had expected members of his old genin team to be there, Sakura's tears and all... lord knows they'd chased after him relentlessly and long enough that he would have been astonished if they hadn't turned up... but the rest ?

Shikamaru , Chouji, Kiiba, Shino and the weird blonde girl that used to follow him with Sakura everywhere he went and whose name he couldn't place were all there...as well as Lee, Ten-ten and the hyuuga, Neji ,who had all been his senpais at the Academy.

Even the hyuuga girl- Hinata had come, though he knew he'd never spoken to her before.

There was an undercurrent of animosity coming from that group, which was not surprising to him- and frankly he wasn't at all fazed; but still he couldn't understand why they'd bothered to come in the first place. He definitely wouldn't have if the roles had been reversed .

It's not like he'd ever been very friendly with any of them to begin with .

His mild astonishment,however, did not overshadow the vast emotions that instantly tore through his being , when his cold hard black eyes met dazzling blue ones. Sasuke could almost swear he'd sensed something akin to an electric current pass between them as their eyes locked together. The unconcealed joy and questions in those innocent and naïve sky blue orbs threatened to break down his resolve

The intensity of those feelings had him immediately look away from Naruto and the group that now stood beside his, resorting to staring ahead as the latter stopped by the gates and two of his guards left to sign them in.

"Sasukeeee ..."

The happy cry made Sasuke wince and his heart race...

...and it disgusted him. Not even two seconds into the dobe's company and he was already jumpy and he couldn't understand why.

He did not respond

"Sasuke teba!"

This time he could hear the shuffling of feet and the crunch of gravel as the owner of the voice rushed towards Sasuke and his group. The Uchiha had to fight the urge to turn towards the sounds and Naruto, as something unidentifiable screamed for him to do so.

He did not turn, however, resolved to stoically staring ahead ; he was a man a mission and he'd be damned if he let something as trivial as emotions get in the way.

Soon enough Naruto stood before him and Sasuke felt something in his chest clench. The blond's eyes were watery with what Sasuke suspected were tears, only held back back by Naruto's sheer determination not to cry in front of his peers .

The expression on Naruto's face vaguely reminded Sasuke of their first high ranked mission, in the Land of Waves, when Naruto had bawled his eyes out to having to say goodbye to Inari. Whilst it had amused Sasuke at that time, this time it made him uncomfortable.

For some unknown reason he didn't like to see Naruto cry, especially when he knew he was the one that caused it.

He could not look away from Naruto's gaze, even when Sakura, Kakashi and another dark haired boy joined them.

"Sasuke..?" Naruto started again, his voice cracked with so much emotion and his watery eyes swimming... full of questions he could not and would not answer.

Sakura wore a puzzled countenance as she looked from one boy to the other as they stared each other down, whilst Kakashi and Sai's expressions remained unreadable as usual. No one else, including Sasuke's ANBU guards, said anything as everyone watched the interaction between Sasuke and Naruto intently. They seemed to be waiting for something and no one knew what exactly that something was.

The blond opened his again mouth as if to say something else but hesitated when the other two ANBU, having finished signing in, rejoined the group-

almost to Sasuke's relief

"Uchiha-san it's time to go meet the Hokage", said the taller of the said ANBU pair.

Sasuke tore his gaze away from the Naruto's now pleading one, and forced himself to move forward and away from the blonde.

"Sasuke-kun.."

"Teme..."

Both Sakura and Naruto made to stop him but a slight hiss of warning from Kakashi stopped them, and Sasuke carried on walking, not looking back even once.

He was glad to get away...away from the questioning eyes , the scrutiny and animosity he felt from some of his peers

But somehow when he walked away from Naruto, his chest tightened...

* * *

><p>Seeing his retreating back, Naruto almost ran after Sasuke. It was just like the nightmares he'd been having for the past three years. Always he saw Sasuke's back- always Naruto ran after him but he could never catch up- and it was happening all over again. But before he could move, he felt a strong grip on his shoulder. He turned to look up to the soft kind eye of the copy ninja. He blinked in surprise, as he registered that there were other people there with him. The moment he'd seen Sasuke arrive, everyone else had ceased to exist for him, which made him feel sheepish when he saw the concerned looks on his friends' faces when they moved in closer to where team seven now stood alone, after Sasuke and his entourage's departure.<p>

"Give him time Naruto" advised Kakashi, in a soft reassuring voice, different to his usually sardonic drawl, as he gave the boy an encouraging squeeze, "Sasuke is not going anywhere and they'll be plenty of time for answers."

Naruto knew he was right, but couldn't keep the panicky feeling that Sasuke was going to leave from welling up inside of him. Still he nodded his acquiescence and forcefully tried to pull himself together. He turned to his right, to a sniffling Sakura and held both her shoulders in his his hands in a strong but careful grasp , crouching slightly to bring himself to her eye level and forcing her to look at him. He could read the mixed emotions in her eyes that mirrored his own- delight, confusion, anger,fear, disbelief and wonder- at the thought of Sasuke back in the village. He gave her one of his brightest and most dazzling smiles that lit up his face like the golden sun, taking Sakura and everyone else around them, momentarily, aback

"It's over Sakura-chan...he's home now"

As the reality sunk in for Sakura, Naruto, himself,was rewarded with Sakura's own dazzling smile before she launched herself into his arms... crying and laughing with complete and utter joy . Soon Naruto joined her , hugging and laughing whilst their friends looked on with a mixture of emotions.

* * *

><p>Tsunade studied the young man who stood before her in her office, flanked by two ANBU guards on each side. So this was the boy that had had Naruto and Sakura in a tizzy for the past three years. He was an extremely good-looking lad, she assented begrudgingly, to herself and could see how Sakura and the rest of her protégé's female peers had fallen truly, madly and deeply in love with him. He had an unblemished milky white complexion that was the envy of many a damsels, a face chiselled to perfection and the body of a god that was clad in a long sleeved white shirt tantalisingly opened all the way down to his navel. The boy was the definition of sex on legs. No wonder half of Konoha's female population had gone into mourning at his deflection , she thought with a smirk<p>

It was his onyx eyes, though, that both fascinated and repulsed Tsunade.

When she looked into his eyes she couldn't help but shiver slightly from what she saw there.

His eyes were cold and hard but what frightened her the most was that they reflected nothing. They were dead and empty

It was like staring into an abyss and that chilled her to the bone.

Somehow Tsunade couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss but couldn't quite place a finger on it.

However, she knew that this one needed to be kept an eye on and that the following weeks if not months were going to very difficult

Little did she know how right she was...

* * *

><p>Onyx eyes scanned their surroundings in disgust and disdain. To say Sasuke was nonplussed and more than a little bit miffed to be standing in Uzumaki Naruto's living room cum dining room cum kitchenette was a gross understatement.<p>

He was most put out.

This was the last place he wanted to be- for many reasons especially emotionally, mentally and hygienically -as a big fat roach crawled over his foot and into a dirty ramen pot that lay on the rubbish littered floor.

He knew he shouldn't and couldn't be here and – if it he was truly honest with himself-what worried him the most was that deep down he knew it wasn't the filthy state of Naruto's apartment that had him worried (_he was a bit of a clean freak_) but Naruto himself and he couldn't figure out why.

He had acknowledged that out of everyone he'd encountered since the day he lost his family, Naruto had been the only one to really touch him deep down and he'd quickly, and reluctantly on Sasuke part, become Sasuke's closest person and greatest rival. The blonde boy had understood the meaning of true loneliness and had shared some of Sasuke's pain.

But that had been a long time ago and Sasuke believed that he'd put that time in his life behind him- but much to his astonishment and annoyance, his reactions to Naruto earlier had him questioning the validity of that assumption.

He had hoped to find some quiet time , perhaps in his prison cell, to think about it and make sense of everything before he had to meet the blonde again. In addition he knew he'd soon be put on trial before the council and elders of Konoha and he really needed to be on form, mentally and emotionally, for what he knew was the first crucial point in his plan

Unfortunately , the Hokage had had a different idea. After hearing the testimony of one of the ANBU, the tall one who'd spoken to him at the gate earlier that day and was clearly the captain, on how Sasuke had voluntarily handed himself in, contrary to popular belief that he'd been captured (_as if_)- Tsunade had , ironically, decided to reward him by ordering him stay with his 'closest friend' , as she had put it, instead of a prison cell; albeit with double the ANBU guard, considering he was a dangerous convict.

Tsunade had been shocked and almost relieved to see a range of emotions play on the stoic young man's face when she had given that order, strengthening her belief that her decision had been the right one.

To be honest, Tsunade had, as a last ditch attempt to try and glean some emotional response from and understand Sasuke, decided to send him to Naruto. If anyone could draw emotions out of a stone it was Naruto

In addition Naruto and Sasuke had history and unfinished business to sort out and she knew Naruto desperately wanted to see Sasuke, and she wasn't above using her position as hokage to make sure her favourite blonde baka had his wish. Naruto was the nearest thing to family Tsunade had left.

Gauging Sasuke's reactions to her order and witnessing his internal struggle as he tried to keep his feeling in check and maintain his Uchiha countenance, Tsunade's had felt a heavy weight lift from her ample bosom.

Yes... Sasuke staying with Naruto was the best solution.

* * *

><p>Now he found himself in Naruto's apartment with the said blonde bent over in front of him, flustering about in a pathetic attempt to tidy up as he picked random bits of garbage and clothing on the floor and stuffing them in a big black bin bag. Sasuke had not and refused to move from the spot Kakashi had left him, when the latter had escorted him to Naruto's apartment. He was grateful that his former teacher had not felt the need to talk, so they'd both made their way to the dobe's place in silence. Even when they'd arrived , Kakashi had not felt the need to stay and had merely nodded his goodbye to Sasuke before he disappeared in a poof of smoke.<p>

Apart from the ANBU guards, that were now posted around the perimeter around Naruto's apartment, and Kakashi of course, it was a secret to all that Sasuke was to stay at Naruto's and if it had been different circumstances, Sasuke would have been amused at the gob-smacked, ramen drooling reaction Naruto had had when he'd answered the door.

Seeing that his cleaning was not getting anywhere, Naruto decided to abandon it all together and resorted to steal shy glances at Sasuke , who still stood rigidly in the middle of the room scowling at the wall facing him and arms crossed over his chest, whilst pretending to straighten out the cushions on his sofa. Upon intervals he'd stop as if he wanted to say something, but would catch himself and continue with his pretend fluffing.

It was beginning to wear on the raven's already thin nerves and after one particularly long pause in which he knew the dobe was staring at him, Sasuke turned to face him sharply

"What?" he snapped irritably

Blushing furiously at being caught staring , Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly

"Er... w-would ya … er..." he stammered shyly, squirming under Sasuke's intense glare

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in impatience.

Since when did Naruto blush and stutter?

Noticing Sasuke's growing annoyance, Naruto forced himself to speak once again , a little bit puzzled by why he was behaving like Hinata

" W-would you...er like something to drink...?

Sasuke's s gaze turned to the suspicious looking kitchen. As if reading the hesitation in his eyes, Naruto quickly interjected

" I do have clean glasses and cups-"

At Sasuke's sardonically raised eyebrow and to the raven haired boy's amusement, Naruto had the decency to blush sheepishly when he followed Sasuke's gaze to his overflowing sink.

"I wasn't expectin' company so I didn't tidy up... but I do have clean glasses" he pouted slightly as he made his way to the kitchen and opened a cupboard that indeed had clean mugs and glasses, "so what do ya want to have?"

"Nothing" came the curt reply

All Sasuke wanted was to be left alone.

"That's not an option teme" shouted Naruto, finally fed up with Sasuke's cool demeanour, startling the raven momentarily out of his stolid clearly had not been expecting the sudden outburst , especially from the blushing and stuttering Naruto. He turned towards the kitchen, only for his eyes to meet blazing blue ones that were clearly raring for a fight . Feeling his energy drain , Sasuke decided to let this one go. He'd had a long journey and was exhausted therefore he was not going to waste his strength arguing with the blonde idiot over whether he wanted a drink or not. Besides, it was also beneath his Uchiha pride to do so. So with a resigned sigh he asked for whatever the blonde had available. To his surprise and what suspiciously felt like pleasure, though he would emphatically deny it, Naruto gave him one of the most brilliant and blinding smiles ever.

Somewhere in the deepest recesses of his being, Sasuke was almost glad he'd conceded to the brash blonde's whim.

"Why don't ya sit down and make y'self comfortable" Naruto called out from the kitchen and Sasuke found himself twirling about the room in exasperation then resorting to sitting on the old worn sofa that Naruto had patially cleared , it being the only place in the dump of an apartment that looked safe enough to sit.

If he was ever going to stay here longer, there were **definitely** going to be some changes

* * *

><p>-A month later, Naruto would agree that what he'd done at that moment in time had not been one of his cleverest ideas (<em> not that he had ever been accused of having many clever ideas in his entire life, Sasuke and Kiba would argue<em>). However at that moment , Naruto , never really being a patient one , had been so desperate for answers from his closest friend, and rival- wanting to to crack the impenetrable , hard cold wall that Sasuke had put up about him. - that he did the only thing he could think of.

He spiked Sasuke's drink.

When he thought of what the raven would do if he ever found out what he'd done , he shuddered . A vision of a chidori induced gaping hole in his chest made him wince. However that did not diminish his determination. One way or another he and Sasuke were going to talk whether Sasuke liked it or not!

* * *

><p>Sasuke felt funny. The air was buzzing and he felt like he was flying. Up in the air like a tiny little bird. He took another sip of his drink -it was delicious- and turned to the blonde sitting beside him.<p>

Damn was Naruto hot!

Three years had worked wonders on Naruto and it felt like it was the first time Sasuke was truly seeing the blonde, although he'd met at him at Orochimaru's hideout a few months prior.

His face had thinned with age, his jaws more defined and solid. Gone were the chubbiness and cuteness of youth, replaced by the chiselled good looks, hard and defined lines of mid-adolescence.

Naruto had grown to be quite handsome indeed.

His wild gilded sun kissed locks were slightly longer, some spilling over his eyes, glistening in the fading sunlight like spun silk. Naruto had taken his jacket off and the Uchiha swallowed hard, when he saw his lean well defined torso underneath his black t-shirt .Something in his gut clenched and he quickly averted his eyes back to Naruto's face when he sensed his eyes begin to travel further down Naruto's body, to unsafe areas.

But it were his eyes, Sasuke thought that were unchanged and also the most striking of Naruto's features. Those big round long lashed cerulean orbs had the power to draw people, in as they were doing to him at that very moment – full of innocence, naivety, purity .

He was trapped and he couldn't look away

"So beautiful..." he slurred , as he reached out to touch Naruto's face.

The blonde's eyes widened in surprise as the raven boy lurched towards him. Maybe his plan had worked a little bit to well. He had wanted to loosen the Uchiha up not render him totally incapacitated

"Ano... teme... are ya alright?" he reached forward and brushed Sasuke's bangs out of his face to look into his glazed eyeswith one hand as the other steadied him from falling face down onto Naruto's lap.

Maybe it should've been one teaspoon instead of the table spoon of powder he had given Sasuke, he thought with horror. He was further horrified when Sasuke hiccuped and let out a strange giggle (_strange in the sense that he , an Uchiha, had giggled in the first place)_.

Naruto was so lost in shock that he did not notice when Sasuke stopped giggling and his body stiffened, a dangerous glint starting to grow in his eyes. It was only when the world begun to spin and he found himself on his back on the less filthy floor, since he'd cleared up a bit, his body pinned down by Sasuke's and both his hands imprisoned in a tight clutch above his head. He looked up in confusion and gasped in shock as his eyes met onyx eyes darker than night, hungry and full of a need so raw it was breathtaking.

Sasuke looked like he was about to ravish him and astonishingly enough, instead of fear Naruto felt a tingle of excitement build up inside him.

"Sasuke...?" he gasped in a cracked voice, weak with anticipation and his own surging feelings. Gone were any thoughts of having a discussion, of rebuilding bonds. All that was left was an aching desire for the raven that hovered above him ...

A desire so sudden and so strong that he found it hard to breathe. Where their bodies connected , Naruto felt like he was on fire and a powerful need to touch grew in him so much that he let out a whimper, so alien to him that it took him by surprise.

Sasuke seemed taken aback by the whimper, but as the blonde beneath him began to squirm impatiently a sly grin grew on his face. Naruto molten eyes read desire that equalled his own and any precautions that he might have had about his next course of action was thrown out of the window.

"Naruto" Sasuke growled, making Naruto shiver. Sasuke caught his reaction, and he chuckled in a deep husky voice that threatened to send Naruto over the edge. Sasuke leaned in towards Naruto as the blonde raised his head to meet his.

Their lips met with a crushing force, teeth clashing , lips bruising and tongues invading and probing new territories. Both boys fought for dominance as their tongues duelled and their bodies and limbs intertwined, desperately clinging to each other, and rolling all over the messy floor.

Sasuke regained his position as Naruto conceded to him body and soul. He didn't really care as long as Sasuke was kissing and touching him.

Clothes flew off so rapidly that within seconds they were both connected skin to skin, from head to toe.

Under Sasuke's passionate yet tender ministrations, Naruto was soon soaring through the throes of passion, clinging tightly to Sasuke as he went over the edge- Sasuke joining him soon after, filling him with his essence. Naruto felt like a fire had exploded inside of him at that moment deep within his core but soon all was forgotten as he rode the current of the pleasurable afterglow of their coupling.

Naruto felt so full and content, after, as he found himself nestled in Sasuke's strong arms- the raven's long beautiful callused finger tenderly stroking his hair. His face lay on Sasuke's broad chest and he could hear the gentle rhythm of his heart beat and feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing, so steady and sure. Soon enough he felt his eyes close to the sweet lull of sleep and the last thought he had before darkness called was how truly happy he was...

_tbc ..._


	4. Chapter 4

**warnings:** same as previous chapters. i would like to stress that i sincereley apologise for grammatical and spelling errors as well as an incoherent plotline & oocness . what can i say but... writing is a bitch...and I admire those who've written and completed many a stories!You guys are AMAZING!

**disclaimer:** still dont own Naruto (maybe Masashi-sensei might be open to negotiating? er...perharps...not

**authoress' notes:** just a massive big up for my first **EVER** reviewers **kiki2222** and **Rosebunse**. Wanna say much appreciated guys and I hope you will enjoy the story. Knowing that at least two people *sob* *sniff* are reading this story fills me with so much energy and detemination (_trumpets in the backround_) that i want fiish this story just for you! If you have any gripes or any thoughts on the story please dont hesitate to let me know. You will always hold a special place in this lil' old rookie's heart forever (I know sappy , but it's true). This update is esp for you two.

Ps: Just a quick note in regards to the story: Pain has already attacked Konoha but Madara has yet to declare war on the Shinobi . Tsunade recovered before Danzo became the next hokage, with the latter still alive. Almost all of Konoha has been rebuilt. I hope this clears any confusion anyone gets when reading this next chapter. If you notice anything out of sync or a loophole, drop me a line and i'll try and rectify it

so enjoy

**Naruto's Apartment**

Sasuke woke up with a start and knew immediately that something was wrong.

His head felt fuzzy- which to an Uchiha was never a good thing - a dull throb thrumming against the back of his eye balls. He tried to lift his right arm with the intention of rubbing his temple, to sooth and clear his mind from the irritating headache that was now escalating from a dull throb to needle sharp stabbing pain, only to find it was trapped under something warm and felt remarkably like...

No, that was ridiculous, he thought in a mild panic ...it couldn't be that now...could it?

His eyes opened instantly, wincing slightly at the pain caused by the small amount of moonlight that streamed through one of the partly covered windows above him ,situated on the left wall of the somewhat familiar room he now found himself in. Sasuke shifted a little and to his alarm, suddenly felt something heavy on his chest.

A quiet moan followed , coming from the said weight on his chest, at the sudden movement he'd made, and he felt something or rather.. someone... nestle into his side, an arm circling his waist and squeezing him closer.

Now, more panicked than he'd been when he first woke up, Sasuke immediately looked down, only to see a mop of more than usual dishevelled golden hair and Naruto's peaceful sleeping face.

Kamisama … this could not be happening!

He stifled a loud scream of horror as it suddenly hit him there and then that he and Naruto were both naked and the blond's body was half draped, or rather thrown, over his.

Events of what had happened suddenly came rushing into his head threatening to drive him insane.

To his dismay he realised he was in Naruto's apartment and...

...he and Naruto had just had **sex**!

He had jumped the dobe and had thoroughly ravished him!

What the hell...?

* * *

><p>A wave of various inexplicable emotions hit him all at once and he suddenly wanted to get as far away from the other boy as possible <strong>ESPECIALLY <strong>before the the latter woke up and he, himself, went insane.

With a calmness he didn't feel, Sasuke managed to slowly and gently (_much to his surprise_)lift Naruto's head from his chest and place it on the carpeted floor on which they both lay.

In the same manner he pried Naruto's arm from his waist placing it next to the blond's head, then endeavoured to extricate himself from the rest of the boy's hold , slowly shifting his own body backwards and away from Naruto.

Sasuke froze as Naruto's eyes suddenly fluttered, his face twisting into a slight frown at the loss of Sasuke's hold and warm body. However , much to Sasuke's relief, the younger boy did not awaken but, instead, turned onto his side and shifted his body into a foetal position, his face nestling into one of his palms, in an unconscious attempt to warm himself up.

Sasuke paused, as he took in the vulnerable image of the boy who lay on the floor and was suddenly hit by a sharp pain in his chest.

For at that moment Naruto had never seemed so delicate and fragile, despite his battle hardened and solid frame. He looked so beautiful- bathed in pale moonlight- so ethereal, that it took Sasuke 's breath away.

Naruto's blonde bangshad fallen across his golden tanned face – partially shielding the somewhat alluring face from it's beholder. His chest rose up and down in a gentle rhythmn of one so deep in slumper; soft and cute whistle sounds emanating from him as he breathed out.

Sasuke could feel himself melt.

The Uchiha's eyes travelled along Naruto's curved golden body, drinking in the perfection of his built. Naruto was somewhat on the lean side, though he was well sculpted due to his rigorous training and the many battles he had fought. His body was fautless, beautiful and it lay there open, welcoming and inviting-

Sasuke lifted his hand, could feel himself drawn as if he were hypnotised- reaching out wanting desperately to touch the boy, when suddenly Naruto let out a whimper and shiver...

Snap!

At the sound of Naruto shivering and whimpering, reality came crushing down heavily and Sasuke felt like cold water had been thrown over his head. The horror of what he had done and what he was about to do again hit him so hard that he scrambled further away from the sleeping boy as if he was made of poison.

He hastily got up, grabbing a throw that lay atop the love-seat where all the chaos had begun and covered Naruto's shivering body. Naruto smiled appreciatively in his sleep and nestled himself further into the warmth of the throw.

Refusing to be distracted by the feelings invoked by the blond's unconscious actions, Sasuke quickly began to gather and put on his clothes; a task that was rather difficult to do considering that the moon was the only source of light; in addition to the fact that the said clothes had been strewn carelessly all over the place during his and Naruto's vigorous sex session.

All the time he was thinking that he had to get out. He had to get away from the blond and he didn't care if they put him in prison or threatened to kill him, there was no way he was going to stay anywhere near the dobe.

No way!

When he was fully clothed, Sasuke made for the door with the full intention of leaving but when he reached it, he risked a look back to the boy that lay sleeping, half hidden in shadows, on the messy floor and he felt his chest tighten with such a pain he'd never imagined. However, with his determination set, he rapidly turned away, quietly opened the door and walked out of the apartment and Naruto's life, slowly and softly closing the door behind him.

The moment he shut the door two ANBU and Kakashi swooped in and landed in front of him, the former in a fighting stance, weapons out and ready whilst the latter stood with his arms crossed against his chest.

He had expected that..

"Take me to the correctional facility now, Kakashi," he ordered, before any of them could say anything.

"That would be going against the Hokage's orders," replied Kakashi, in his usual bored drawl, not sounding a least bit surprised by the request. Sasuke somehow had the feeling the silver-haired jounin knew what had occurred between him and Naruto, and it did nothing to improve his already foul mood.

"I don't give a damn if it's the hokage's orders or not. It's either the facility or we fight, people die and I leave "

Although he spoke calmly and with his usual stoic , calm arrogance , Kakashi and the two ANBU who had relaxed their stance the moment they realised Sasuke wasn't going to try and escape, could sense the truth and menace inherent in the threat.

Not wanting to fight the Uchiha in a residential area , especially when he was not even sure he could win even with the ANBU's support, Kakashi conceded to the request. He was pretty sure Godaime would forgive him this small act of insolence especially if it saved Konoha from a certain destruction...again.

Rebuilding Konoha was hard the first time round...

"Okay, follow me"

And with that Kakashi, Sasuke and the two ANBU disappeared into the darkness

* * *

><p><em><strong>Three weeks later...<strong>_

** The New Ichiraku's  
><strong>

" Ne Naruto is it because today is Sasuke-kun's trial that you are so quiet ?" asked Sakura tensely as she, Naruto and Sai sat at Ichiraku's during lunch, having ramen. An announcement had been given out the day before by the hokage confirming that Sasuke 's trial would be on the following day after lunch; and a verdict **would ** be reached by the end of the trial; that is if the hokage had anything to say about it

The whole village was buzzing with gossip and talk about the up and coming trial, it being the biggest event since Pain's invasion of Konoha and subsequent defeat at the hands of the pariah turned hero known as Uzumaki Naruto.

Guesses were being made on what the verdict would be. Whilst most agreed that Sasuke would not be sentenced to death due to the fact that he was the last remaining Uchiha , thoughts on the type of punishment he'd receive varied – from life imprisonment, to sealing,binding, blinding etc etc...

Naruto, who usually gobbled at least three bowls of ramen within the first five minutes of arriving, was still on his first one, which he'd hardly touched. He stared blankly down at his ramen bowl, his chopsticks pocking and swirling the now soggy noodles round and round the bowl .

Both Sai and Sakura watched him, worry written on their faces , knowing that something definitely troubled the blonde teen.

In fact since the day after Sasuke had arrived back in Konoha, both Sakura and Sai ,as well as his other friends, had noticed that Naruto begun to act strangely.

He was forever lost in own world and was eerily quiet, only speaking when spoken to, constantly walking around the village with a blank look on his face. Most of his friends found themselves having to repeat themselves quite often when addressing him. He no longer smiled as much as he usually did and during training he was constantly distracted, allowing for Sai and Sakura to get in hits they normally wouldn't make if he was on form.

Even when Sai made crude remarks about the size of his manhood , Naruto did not so much as flinch.

But most surprisingly to all was, whenever Sasuke's name was mentioned , the Naruto would stiffen instantly and a pained expression would etch itself upon his face. The blond would then try to change the topic and divert the conversation to something else or leave the conversation citing an emergency or a suddenly remembered task he'd forgotten to do .

This behaviour puzzled everyone immensely , especially Sakura. Everyone knew that she and Naruto had been desperate to get Sasuke back , but now that they had, Naruto was acting like he wasn't happy about it at all. Sakura couldn't understand why and it hurt her a lot that Naruto was behaving in such a way.

After not getting a response from the blond, Sakura poked him in the ribs, hard, with her chopsticks

"Ow...tebayo'" Naruto cried , jumping at the pain and nearly spilling his ramen

"Oi...baka... I asked you a question" scolded the pink haired female, "and I expect it to be answered not ignored" she added exasperation lacing her voice.

"Well that's no reason ta skewer me Sakura-chan" complained Naruto with a pout, as he rubbed his sore side

'The lady has a point Naruto" Sai interjected as he set down his own chopsticks neatly , having finished his ramen, proceeding to nestle his chin on top of his laced fingers as he watched Sakura glare daggers at Naruto, "we have been talking to you for over ten minutes and all we seem to be getting are grunts and scary silence. That's hardly how you treat your friends now is it?"

Naruto sheepishly looked away from his team-mates' inquisitive and concerned eyes

"Sorry I was kinda distracted... have a lot going on in m'mind lately?"

"You have been distracted a lot lately. Is everything okay?" Sakura asked, her concern and worry returning, clearly affixed on her face whilst Sai silently looked on , his face mirroring Sakura's. Unable to face his friends concern. Naruto kept his eyes averted, feeling guilty at being the cause of it as well as being especially feeling guilty towards Sakura, for a whole other reason.

"It's nothing important s'all , ya don't hafta worry 'bout it"

His assurance, however, seemed to have the opposite effect; it made a his friends worry even more. Naruto had never been one to hold back his feelings, usually being the first to speak out when he was disgruntled about something or someone , so his friends,(_surprisingly even Sai who was inept at reading people_), could tell that something was troubling him especially now that he was trying and failing to hide it.

"We worry cause you 're no acting like yourself Naruto. You can tell me anything that's worrying you... you know that don't you ?" Sakura soothed, placing a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder

'Me too," added Sai with slight smile, "though I'm still new to the whole concept feelings and emotions"

At his friends' concern and support , Naruto smiled his first genuine smile in three weeks and gave Sakura's hand , which rested on his shoulder, a tight squeeze full of warmth and gratitude.

" I know ...and thank ya but honestly, it's ain't somethin' I cant handle by m'self"

'I hope so" Sakura yielded with a sigh, clearly noting the deflection. It was clear something big was bothering her friend but it was also obvious that he did not want to share. All she could do was wait until he felt comfortable enough to divulge whatever it was that was bothering him, cause tell her he would!

It was either that, or her name was not Haruno Sakura.

Besides, everyone knew Naruto could could never keep a secret from her .

He would tell eventually.

She smiled at Naruto and at Sai, feeling content with her boys.

The three team-mates continued to smile at each other basking in their companionship and joking with each other until the old man Teuchi interrupted them, reminding them that Sasuke's trial was about to begin.

"Oh dammit- we have to go" Sakura bolted out of her seat and grabbed both Naruto and Sai's arms and dragged them onto the road heading towards the Kohoha's stadium, where the finals of chūnin exams had been held previously; and now, where Sasuke's trial was to be conducted. Many people were already making their over, so the trio had to manouvre around them hastily, if they wanted to get any seats

Whilst Sakura was busy dragging and navigating the two boys through the crouded streets whilst rambling on about all things Sasuke, which also included the trial, Sai, however, noticed how Naruto flinched whenever the Uchiha boy's name was mentioned. Somehow, the dark haired boy couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened between Naruto and Sasuke, but he did not know what,

* * *

><p><strong>Konoha's Stadium<strong>

Uchiha Sasuke's trial was far from normal and surprisingly, no one had expected it to be otherwise. Usually when rogue shinobi were tried, it was normally in private, with only the hokage, the village elders who also served as council members and clan leaders sitting in; however, due to the high profile of the said criminal and the grievous threat he held against the village as a whole , Tsunade, against Homura, Koharu and Danzo's opposition, had decided the public and every member of the village of Konoha had a right to sit on the trial as the outcome affected them one way or the other.

Therefore , the trial was being held in Kohoha's stadium, which had suffered minimal damage from Pain's attack due to the fact that it was located on the outskirts of Konoha, beyond the wall and nearer to the training grounds.

By the time team 7 arrived, the said stadium was packed full with almost every member of the village present, which made it struggle to find vacant seats

Half torn between wanting to be there to hear the verdict and not wanting to be there because he would have to see Sasuke again three weeks after he'd disappeared on him, Naruto wasn't too sure if he was happy or sad at not being able to get any seats. Sakura, on the other hand , was very devastated and was almost on the verge of tears when...

"Sakura, Naruto, Sai- over here" they heard a cry from four rows below to the left of the aisle they currently stood in. The two boys and girl looked down to see Ino, waiving frantically at them , her high ponytail swishing from side to side, "We saved you some seats" she added as they slowly descended towards where she, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba , Lee and the rest of Konoha's eleven sat. Indeed when they arrived , after a session of 'excuse me','pardon me' and 'coming through', trying to manoeuvre past already seated and slightly disgruntled Konoha citizens, they found three vacant seats between Ino and Kiba.

"We thought you guys weren't gonna make it", said Kiba as Naruto sat down beside him, whilst Sakura took the seat next to Ino and Sai sat in the middle.

"We almost didn't" replied Sakura, who'd caught Kiba's remark, "...just imagine how awful it would be if we, his closest friends, missed Sasuke-kun's trial;" she added with a shudder, obviously horrified at the thought.

Naruto, however, did not reply as his eyes became glued to the small dark haired figure that had entered the stadium flanked by Hatake Kakashi and a masked ANBU. He felt his heart tighten and could feel tears threatening to fall.

He would not cry, he mentally chided himself as he swiftly wiped away a stray tear, though the action was not swift enough to escape Sai's notice. The dark haired boy chose, however, to remain silent

The sounds in the stadium hushed down to complete silence as Sasuke was led to stand and face the podium on which the hokage , garbed in her official attire, and the rest of the council and clan leaders sat. A large screen was situated above them allowing those who sat too far, to see what was happening below, better visuals.

"Uchiha Sasuke" Tsunade started, rising to address the young man that now stood before her, her voice booming loud and clear (_obviously technically enhanced though I cant be bothered to go into great detail describing it_), " you stand here before me, the hokage as well as the elders clan leaders and all the citizens of Konoha accused of crimes against the village of Konohagakure, is that correct?"

"It is" the boy replied , his voice strong, steady and unflinching

" And how do you plead?"

Beat...

The whole stadium was filled with an eerie silence... and then-

"Guilty"

_TBC..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto (sob) (full out bawling)

**Warnings: **Check the previous ones, they're literally the same. Plus the story could be utterly boring and senseless for some. I'm trying my best to make it exciting but you gotta forgive me- this is my first fanfic and I'mma dyin' here! I have a strange habit of thinking words and forgetting to write them down so when you read some of the sentences words are missing for example I want to say ...'Sasuke loved Naruto with an intensity that threatened to drive him insane'... I might write instead...'Sasuke Naruto with an intensity threatened to drive him insane' and coz I aint got a beta some those lines might go unchecked soz for that. You could try making reading my story into a game (_perhaps it would make reading it more exciting)_ like 'Try and Fit the Missing Word' game.

**Author's Notes**:That is still funny when I write it out. Who is an author? Me ? Yeah (snort) right! N'way nuff of the self battering (_I have nuff low self esteem as it is)_ this has to be by far the longest chapter I have ever written ever. It feels like I'm writing my dissertation all over again. It was gonna be longer coz I got all these ideas buzzing in my head and I really wanted to write the bit when Naruto discovers he's up the duff, knocked up, preggers... but I'm tired and sleepy so it's going to be in the next chapter. I hope my semi creative (I say semi coz I'm still not convinced I have any to begin with) juices will still beflowing when I write the next installment . As for now ciao and enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Konoha Stadium<strong>

"_Uchiha Sasuke... you stand here accused of crimes against the village of Konohagakure, is that correct?"_

"_It is" the boy replied , his voice strong, steady and unflinching_

" _And how do you plead?"_

"_Guilty"_

There was a collective gasp from the spectators, soon followed by an interval of complete and utter silence as the reality of Sasuke's plea sunk in.

Even the the messy bespectacled blonde female that had been typing up the minutes of the proceedings had momentary paused, also stunned by Sasuke's reply.

Sasuke was slightly amused when he noticed Kakashi's hands clench slightly , though the rest of silver haired ninja remained impassive- it was a rare occurrence to catch his former teacher off guard and he savoured it.

They hadn't seen nothing yet.

Tsunade , was the first to recover

"Do you have anything to say, in your defence, to justify the reason/s why you committed these crimes?"

"None that most of the people who are here are not aware of. Everyone knew that I sought vengeance against the massacre of my family and clan. That has been my goal ever since I was child. I made it very clear from the beginning that I would use any means necessary to achieve my goal and that is what I did... I have never hidden any of my intentions as many would attest to" came Sasuke's cool reply.

He also nodded towards Kakashi, to emphasise his point.

Tsunade , as well as the council members and elders who so far had remained silent, turned to the copy ninja inquisitively.

Kakashi coughed to clear his throat

" Sasuke, mentioned his intentions a couple of times, whilst he was a genin in my team and under my supervision"

"Dually noted" nodded Tsunade and the copy ninja bowed back

" And you decided this at the cost of Konoha and it's safety...?" chipped in a furious Koharu, who could no longer stand to keep silent .

Homura, who sat beside her grunted in agreement and to reflect his displeasure

"As I said earlier" Sasuke turned his cool gaze to face the elderly woman's dark fierce one,"I was going to use any means necessary...and if that decision put the village and everyone at risk, I was willing to make that sacrifice"

There was a shocked gasp from Koharu, the council as well as the rest of the spectators, at Sasuke's reply. It was soon followed by a frenzy of murmurs and whispers.

Did Sasuke truly not care about Konoha and it's people? Did Sasuke not care about his friends and fellow villagers?

Sakura and Ino were clinging to each other whilst Shikamaru,Neji,Kiba and surprisingly Lee and Chouji all wore hard and cold expressions. Even if Sasuke had not been a particularly close friend of theirs, they'd at least considered him a comrade and hearing such words from him had shocked them.

However , more than that, they knew how those words would hurt Naruto...

...and it infuriated them that Sasuke seemed not to care.

How dare he!

Turning to the blond boy who sat to his left, Sai noticed that Naruto's hands were clenched so tight on the ends of his chair's arm rests that they were almost white.

He could see the knuckle-bones straining beneath the pale skin.

Looking up, Naruto's face wore the most pained expression Sai had ever seen.

It was so tragic and heartbroken that something unfamiliar tightened in Sai's chest. To his surprise he felt one of his hands close over Naruto's surprisingly cold one and squeeze.

Although Naruto did not move his gaze from the podium , he returned Sai's squeeze , much to the dark haired boy's amazement.

Sai found that he could not let go of Naruto's hand so he turned his gaze back to the podium and the trial instead, his grip on Naruto's hand strong and sure. The tightness in his chest did not leave, however, which only served to confuse him even further.

Who knew human emotions were a myriad of perplexing complexities.

* * *

><p>Back at the podium, Homura's face had turned beet red and he could only but splutter his outrage at Sasuke's insolent response. However, before he could get a chance to say anything, Tsunade raised her hand to silence every one, her warm brown eyes deadly steel, as she faced the Uchiha<p>

"If Konohawas and is just a mere sacrifice to you- why then did you come back.." she asked , her voice as cool and as stoic as the Uchiha's, " why did you give yourself up to the ANBU?"

There was another shocked gasp from the spectators, councillors and elders alike.

Naruto nearly broke Sai's hand as he took in the implications of Tsunade's question.

Sasuke had not been captured...

...he had come back.

He had come back on his own .

Of his own will

" What is the meaning of th..." roared Homura, who was soon cut off by Tsunade

" Silence Homura!" interject Tsunade sharply, to which the older man pouted in indignation. Ignoring him, Tsunade tilted her head towards Sasuke

" Boy, answer me now!" she commanded, her voice maintaining it's sharpness

Sasuke, who for the first time that day, had been taken back by Tsunade's question, struggled to find the right answer.

It was crucial for his personal mission that he did not mess this up or his plan would go awry. In the end he decided to go with the truth

"I have unfinished business here"

"What unfinished business, perchance might you have ?" Tsunade's eyebrow rose in curiosity and suspicion

" Uchiha business, it's personal"

"Don't be smart with me boy, what Uchiha business?"

Sasuke remained silent.

This was far as he would go.

Seeing the boy stubbornly stare back at her, his lips drawn into a thin line, Tsunade's right eye began to twitch

As the hokage I order you to tell me now!" demanded Tsunade , her temper starting to flair.

Sasuke , however still refused to answer.

Seeing the tell-tale signs of the hokage's temper tantrums starting, Shikaku, the current head of the Nara clan, who was sitting next Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan, and had so far been quietly observing the trial, decided to interrupt before she went on a rampage- seeing that the Uchiha boy would maintain his silence.

"Hokage-sama, perhaps it is something the Uchiha is not willing to discuss in front of such a large audience"

"This is a public trial Shikaku and the boy will answer when he is damn well told to!" came the stubborn reply

"What if it was a delicate matter..." pressed Shikaku, knowing that if he didn't attempt to divert the conversation, the trial would end up a war zone, seeing that both parties refused to budge

"Oh for goodness sake what delicate matter could the Uchiha have to solve huh? " Tsunade snorted clearly having forgotten where she was.

The whole stadium were stunned silent by the hokage's outburst. For the spectators, most were beginning to realise that their day was going to be full of voice stopping shocks and surprises

"He is the **last **remaining Uchiha, he does have some **obligations**" Shikaku carried on, putting emphasis on the words 'last' and 'obligations', hoping the hokage would catch on.

Scanning the expressions of the rest of the councillors, elders and clan leaders who were serving as jury, Shikaku could see that they , thankfully, had cottoned on. Even Koharu and Homura looked a little bit mollified.

Fortunately for everyone , so had Tsunade.

Danger averted, Shikaku thought to himself as he leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

He was however slightly surprised to hear an amused chuckle from the usually impassive cold fish that was Hyuuga Hiashi

"Well played" came the unexpected praise

Shikaku smiled slightly in response.

Meanwhile Tsunade, whose face had turned a deep shade of pink coughed to clear her throat and cover her embarrassment

"Er right... um...well since we are not going to delve into Sasuke's reasons for coming back in public we shall continue with the rest of the trail. Asnthe defendant has plead guilty I guess we must begin the sentencing" she added, turning to the jury, for approval. They all nodded in agreement. Satisfied Tsunade turned back to readdress Sasuke

" Will it be safe to assume that you'll willingly agree to any form of punishment the elders and I give to you ?"

"It is" came the shot reply and at that, Tsunade could not help but feel a little bit apprehensive.

There was something off about the boy but she could quite place a finger on it.

Taking a moment to assess the boy that stood before her, she was reminded of the first time she'd met him in her office, just moments after he'd returned to Konoha.

The dead expression and the cold empty eyes were still there and she felt she'd almost imagined seeing any other form of emotion in them when she'd told him he'd be staying with Naruto.

Her brilliant idea of trying to loosen him up by sending him to Naruto had failed- Kakashi had reported back to her the following morning after Sasuke's arrival , informing her of Sasuke's refusal to stay with Naruto and his insistence in being put into a correctional facility after merely spending a few hours alone in the blond's company .

Tsunade felt it was something akin to a bad omen that Naruto had failed to melt the young Uchiha.

Forcing herself to focus on the matter at hand, Tsunade began to speak not only to Sasuke but to the spectators at large

"Since Uchiha Sasuke has agreed to all the conditions required, the council and I will adjourn and we will return within the hour to give out the sentence."

With that , the rest of the _'jury'_ stood up to follow Tsunade , who was now making her way down the podium and towards an entrance that lead to one of the training rooms that was reserved for jury deliberation, meanwhile Sasuke was led by Kakashi and his other ANBU guard to an opposite entrance that lead to another training room that was serving as a temporary holding cell.

* * *

><p>Naruto's eyes followed the raven haired boy and his escorts until they disappeared. He was so focused on Sasuke that he did not hear Kiba , who had been speaking to him until he felt a sharp poke on his left arm<p>

"Oww Kiba, whatcha do that for? " he exclaimed , rubbing his arm and glaring intensely at the brown haired boy

"If you weren't so busy ignoring me I wouldn't have poked you... baka"

"Well I wouldn't hafta ignore ya if ya said anythin' that made sense" Naruto replied, blowing a raspberry back at the dog boy. Sai couldn't help but smile at the scene . At least Naruto was acting a little bit like the Naruto he knew, which to him, was an incredible relief.

" I don't see how you two can joke around when Sasuke-kun is about to be punished" came an admonishment from Ino, who was stroking a crying Sakura. Naruto's face fell as he suddenly remembered where he was.

"Well it"s not like he doesn't deserve it or anything" Kiba muttered back, " I mean can you believe what he said about Konoha. We don't matter to him so why should he matter to us?"

"But he's our friend" Naruto interjected , not being able to stand hearing the accusation in Kiba's voice.

"No Naruto, he's your friend not ours" replied Shikamaru, who'd joined the conversation, an unusual hardness in his voice

" Because of him, many of our friends nearly died three years ago and the bastard doesn't seem to give a damn" he added, shuddering; as thoughts of Chouji's emaciated frame, after he'd fought Jirobo of the Sound Four, came flooding back into his mind.

That had been his first mission as a chūnin leader and he'd failed... nearly loosing Chouji in the process.

And it was all because of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Shikamaru... ya know that ain't true, Sasuke cares, he..."

"He what Naruto? You heard him, he said he said going to do whatever was necessary to achieve his own personal goal and to hell with the rest of us or the villagers" interrupted an annoyed Kiba.

He really didn't like Sasuke.

'Kiba calm down" said Shino , who sat to the other side of Kiba.

"But he's defending that traitor" Kinba argued pointing at Naruto , who felt stung by Kiba's words . He knew most of his friends apart from Sakura and Sai, who really didn't care, felt the same . But up until now, no one had said it out loud

"But...but he's come back! He wasn't captured or anything . He gave himself up" Naruto argued

"If he didn't care about us ,why would he do that? Why would he come back?"

"He didn't come back for us"retorted Shikamaru acidly, " Most likely he came back to revive his clan. That's what they were hinting at down there. For Sasuke nothing is important than being an Uchiha. It will always come first and foremost before anything else, Naruto. Be sure to always remember that."

"Well I believe in Sasuke and so does Sakura-chan" the blond replied, with more confidence than he truly felt, nodding reassuringly to the pink haired girl who'd remained silent throughout the exchange , her eyes red, puffy and swollen from crying,, " ya just wait an' see, he's going to prove y'all wrong"

"I sure hope for your sake you're right Naruto"

* * *

><p>Soon, an hour had passed and the hokage and council were back on the podium with Sasuke standing before them, waiting for his sentence to be announced . Tsunade stood up, holding up a short scroll. She began to read it out<p>

" I stand before you here as the hokage to pass a sentence on the defendant known as Uchiha Sasuke, for crimes against the village and the ninja world, through his deflection and association with a particularly dangerous terrorist known as Orochimaru. However, before I pass on the sentence it must , however, be noted that,in the meantime, Sasuke has done a great service to the village by killing said terrorist Orochimaru and as well as Uchiha Itachi, who both were rogue Konoha ninjas and had meant the village harm . He also managed to kill another Akatsuki member, Deidara, who also posed a threat to Konoha."

Hearing his brother proclaimed a terrorist, Sasuke inwardly grimaced and steeled his resolve more than ever. His eyes locked in on Danzo, who sat two seats from the right of Tsunade, and narrowed them menacingly.

Feeling eyes on him, Danzo eyes met Sasuke and for an instance Sasuke held his gaze , making sure all his hatred poured out of him and reflected in his eyes.

Then he looked away.

He did , however notice Danzo's eyes narrow in return.

The game was on!

They were going to pay. Danzo, Homura, Koharu even Tsunade...

Every fucking single one of them

"Having taken these things into consideration," continued Tsunade, " we have decided that Uchiha Sasuke shall have his ninjutsu sealed and he placed under village arrest for an indefinite period of time. He shall also be assigned a guard , who is to be with him at all time. That also would be indefinitely or at least until Sasuke can prove himself loyal to Konoha . The seal will be similar to the Hyuuga curse seal and shall be conducted by myself and Hyuuga Hiashi."

Sasuke did not flinch, although there were shocked gasps and whispers from the villagers as his sentence was read out.

He had anticipated such a sentence.

However nothing in the world could have prepared him from what Tsunade said next

"In addition, Uchiha Sasuke is hereby ordered to marry and conceive an heir within the up and coming month. If he does not comply, within the set time frame, other means will be used to ensure that an Uchiha heir is produced with or without Uchiha's consent"

There was a yet another shocked silence at that last part of the sentence followed by a single familiar sounding cry of astonishment from one member of the audience, which seemed to reflect almost everyone present's thoughts.

Tsunade cleared her throat in slight amusement

" That will be all and I sincerely hope this sentence will be enough to satisfy the villagers of Konoha. I have been your hokage, Tsunade, good day to you all "

With that Tsunade bowed to the stunned audience and turned to nod to Hiashi who stood up and followed her down the podium and towards one of the stadium exits. The rest of the jury followed suit and Sasuke, who could hardly feel his legs, found himself half dragged and half carried after them by Kakashi and his ANBU guard.

What the hell was happening?

* * *

><p><em>In addition, Uchiha Sasuke is hereby ordered to marry and conceive an heir within the up and coming month! If he does not comply, within the set time frame, other means will be used to ensure that an Uchiha heir is produced with or without Uchiha's consent<em>

"Whaaaat" Naruto found himself screaming out loud, as he rapidly stood up from his seat banging his hands down on his arms rest.

All his friends looked up at him in surprise but he did not seem to notice.

He was too fully engrossed in his mental rant .

That had to be most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard!

Surely they'd not force Sasuke to...hang on a minute, something was not right.

He suddenly felt a familiar feeling... of everything blurring out of vision and spinning around him.

He looked down at his friends' surprised faces and they'd also gone all blurry. He's knees buckled beneath him and he could feel himself fall. The last thing he could remember thinking was, amidst Sakura and Kiba shouting out his name,

'Oh hell, not again!

* * *

><p>When he came to, he was in an uncomfortably bright white room that hurt his eyes. He looked down his body and noticed that he was clad in a white gown. Everything was white and somehow he didn't like it<p>

. His head felt as heavy as lead and everything was so fuzzy that it took him a while to get his bearings and figure out where he was. Everything started to come back to him slowly, the events of the trial slowly unfolding in his memory

Oh hell the trial!

He tried to get up from the slightly hard surface he seemed to be lying on and he felt a strong pair of hands on his shoulders gently but firmly push him pack down .

He started to panic- he hadn't sensed anyone else in the room. He tried to struggle but his body was weak , and whoever held him down was strong. He looked up to see who it was and met a pair of familiar milky white eyes...Hyuuga Neji

"Calm down Sasuke-sama, if you struggle you will only make yourself uncomfortable" the older boy advised , in soft but cold voice.

Sure enough , Sasuke could feel a wave of nausea build up

"Sick..am ..going..." he couldn't finish his sentence, as he started to vomit. Fortunately Neji was quick enough to grab a silver basin to put under the Uchiha, who had turned on his side to dangle over the edge of the bed and avoid throwing up on himself .

After he finished heaving , Neji left to throw away the mess , whilst Sasuke threw himself back on his back. He 'd never felt so weak and humiliated in his whole life .

He, an Uchiha, had thrown up and had been attended to, by a Hyuuga, of all people. The said Hyuuga was soon back with a clean basin and a glass of water for Sasuke to rinse his mouth out with.

The long haired boy put the basin down and turned to Sasuke with the intention of helping him up but when he met the glare of the younger boy he thought better of it and offered the boy the glass instead.

Determined to maintain his dignity, Sasuke forced himself to sit up, fighting down a new wave of nausea and dizziness and silently took the offered glass and then the bowl Neji had picked up. He rinsed his mouth and spat into the bowl. He then stared at the two items in his hands , not knowing what to do with them.

Although he managed to sit himself up , Sasuke knew there was no way he was in any condition to stand or walk yet and therein lay the problem.

If he gave them to Neji, he would concede that he was helpless and needed Neji's help and if he didn't then he'd have to do it himself which both boys knew he couldn't.

Fortunately, the problem was taken out of his hands because at that moment, Tsunade and Hiashi had decided to check on their patient. Neji took it upon himself to take the basin and glass which Sasuke accepted as he had not offered them , then the former quicklyto his superiors and rapidly exited the room

"I see you are awake Sasuke. How do you feel?"

Like shit, he wanted to say but it wasn't an Uchiha appropriate response and he'd be damned if he brought shame to his family name.

"I have had better days but I should be better in few minutes"

"The symptoms should last for a few hours but afterwards they should be gone" assured Hiashi.

"That would be a relief" replied Sasuke, his face wearing a stoic expression that amusingly mirrored Hiashi's, a hint of sarcasm laced in his cool voice.

"Watch yourself boy" warned Tsunade , not missing Sasuke's sardonic tone, "we are here to explain how the seal we've put on you works and you best pay attention coz it's your brain that's gonna be fried if you don't, 'kay". She added the last part with an evil smile and glint in her eye. Sasuke suddenly found himself missing Sarutobi ojiisan.

But before Tsunade could say anything in addition , a green clad individual with bowl cut dark hair and bushy brows, who Sasuke immediately recognised as his kooky senpai Rock Lee , burst into the room gasping and panting, his normally pale face red from running, Neji was on his tail worry etched on his face

"Tsunade-sama.. y...you have to...come with me...(pant)...something wrong … Naruto-kun...hurry"

Sasuke's head shot up at the mention the blond's name. He suddenly felt winded as if he'd been punched in the gut. His nausea seemed to be coming back .

What was wrong with Naruto€?

"What?'" Tsunade whorled around to face Lee , her expression changing from evil mirth to a concerned one, " What's wrong with Naruto...what happened to him"her voice shaking slightly

"I don't know, " replied Lee, his voice more steady as he'd finally gained his breath back, "he fainted at stadium after you and the councillors had left. Sakura-chan tried to revive him, but he wouldn't wake up so we brought him to the hospital but they cant seem to wake him up either. It seems he has a high temperature as well"

Tsunade chewed her lip as she mulled over the symptoms.

It didn't feel right. Naruto was hardly every sick , thanks to the Kyuubi.

Maybe something was wrong with the seal...all in all it was not a very good sign that he was unconscious.

She had to hurry and check on Naruto before anything serious happened . If it was anything to do with the seal, they could be in serious trouble since Naruto no longer had her grandfather's necklace

"It seems I will have to leave you two, Hiashi and Neji, to explain things to Sasuke here." Tsunade decided, walking towards the door, " I'll go see to the gaki. I trust you will handle everything here " she added turning to face the Hyuuga leader

"Of course Hokage-sama, please go see to Naruto-san"

Although he would never say it out loud, Hiashi had a rather soft spot for the blond jinchuuriki. It was because of Naruto, that Hiashi had begun to mend his relationship with his nephew Neji- as well as build a new one with his daughter Hinata. His children had changed for the better because of Naruto and he would forever be grateful to him for that.

"Great.. now Lee you have to take me where he is now"

"Of course Hokage-sama!"

"Erm..excuse Tsunade-sama"

Tsunade, who was halfway out of the room turned... to see Neji had stood up.

"Yes" she answered impatiently. She had to get to Naruto quick. Both Hiashi and Sasuke, the latter who'd been stuck in a daze since Lee came in with his news, looked up,with a startle, at the younger Hyuuga male who was now bowing .

"I beg your pardon for delaying you... but is it possible if I come with you too? Naruto is a close friend I would like to be there with the others"

To say three of the five occupants in the room were taken aback by the request was an understatement. Neji was not one to show much emotion or voice any personal thoughts or requests- but from the look of sheer concern written on his face, no one could doubt his sincerity.

Whilst Tsunade and surprisingly Hiashi found it endearing Sasuke, however, found Neji's sincerity towards Naruto rather annoying.

Since when did Naruto and dead-face Neji become the best of buddies?

From what he could remember, Naruto previously couldn't stand the smug bastard.

Obviously things had changed when he'd been gone, he thought with a pout.

It didn't make him feel any better that Neji was also drop dead gorgeous.

The silent, tall, dark, handsome type the dobe seemed to like...

...hang on a minute where the hell did that thought come from, Sasuke thought to himself with a shudder.

The seal had turned his brain into mush.

It had to be the seal, there was no other explanation

...or was there?

Tsunade looked to Hiashi, who nodded his permission

"Of course you can , but we have to hurry" and with that she was gone like a shot, to follow after Lee who was already halfway down the corridor

Nodding to both Hiashi and Sasuke, whose pale face looked slightly paler than normal, Neji rushed out to follow after the other two.

To say the next hour and half was almost like hell , would have been close to truth for Sasuke. Although Hiashi was patient and thorough in his explanation of the nature and effects of the seal ,Sasuke could not grasp a single thing.

His mind was preoccupied with worry for Naruto. Try as he might, the Uchiha had not been able to forget the blond dobe since their mistaken night of passion and in the three weeks they'd been apart.

Slowly but surely, details of what exactly occurred the night they slept together had come to him , torturing him in his dreams every night in his jail cell. Fortunately for him he'd had the cell to himself...

...when normally one had to share with two or three others.

However, due to the high level of danger he posed towards others, Sasuke found himself lucky not to be overheard , by anyone, thrashing and grunting in his sleep as he mentally bedded Naruto every single night - waking up wet and sticky with his sweat and seed.

Always, he'd remembered Naruto's golden body writhing in pain and pleasure as Sasuke'd taken him.

He remembered how Naruto threw his head back and screamed Sasuke's name again and again, as Sasuke hit Naruto's sensitive spot repeatedly.

But more than anything, he remembered how Naruto clung desperately to him as they both climaxed- how for that moment in time only he and Naruto had mattered.

No one else had existed ...

...and that had been magic!

Reflecting back on that moment, Sasuke was beginning to realise his feelings for the dobe were definitely more than he'd care to acknowledge.

But now the dobe was sick and all Sasuke could do was sit and pretend to listen to Hiashi talk about the chakra seal they'd put on him.

No!

It was alright.

This was right.

This was how it was meant to be. Naruto was nothing to him but a piece of a beautiful memory. A past he could never got back to as he'd chosen .

He could not allow his feelings for the blond to jeopardise his plans to destroy Konoha. It was good he could not go see the dobe and check if he was alright. Somehow he knew that if he did- his resolve would diminish.

It was all good.

But then why did he feel like his heart was being stabbed with a thousand kunai

"Er ...Sasuke-san...are you okay?"

Sasuke jumped at Hiashi's hand on his shoulder. He suddenly realised he was still in the white room and he was supposed to be paying attention to what Hiashi was saying

"Erm...I'm fine ...please continue,,"

"I think I better leave it for now and let you to rest for a bit," Hiashi replied placing both hands on his temple and his milky eyes peering into Sasuke's as if he were searching for something; which unnerved the younger male, "... you seem to be slightly dazed. It must be the effects of the seal, please lay back and rest"

Keen to be rid of the Hyuuga, Sasuke obediently and lay back on the hard bed , with the assistance of Hiashi and closed his eyes. He waited until he heard the soft sound of the door closing and opened his eyes.

Why was his heart heavy at the thought of Naruto being sick.

Why

_Tbc..._


	6. Chapter 6

**disclaimer: same as always Naruto still doesn't belong to me and probably never will! I say probably coz you never know in this life**

**warnings: same as before including shit writing and plot! But hey, we all gotta start somewhere**

**Authouress' notes: Just a massive big up to new reviewers and am encouragingmore people to read and review. It helps keep my creative juices flowing (if at all!) lol**

**N'way, enjoy**

* * *

><p><em>"Hey kid...kid...wake up"<em>

_Naruto opened his eyes to a familiar deep growling voice and a weird sense of wetness and weightlessness._

_He was floating. _

_Oh great, he thought with a big groan as it slowly registered where he was._

_Kyuubi..._

_"I'm glad you''re happy to see me too gaki..." came the fox's amused sardonic chortle at the blond boy's reaction_

_"Whatcha want ya oversized flea bag" spat Naruto as he struggled to his feet,"and don't call me gaki!"_

_To Naruto's sheer astonishment, the Kyuubi, who would've normally tried to rip him to shreds for the 'flea bag' insult, merely rolled his big sinister red eyes and chuckled._

_ Something was up …_

_...and Naruto wasn't too sure he was gonna like it._

_Edging cautiously and closer to the sealed gate gate ( but not too close to be within the demon fox's reach) Naruto was furthermore astonished to see that the Kyuubi was actually smiling, _

_...which in itself was a terrible and frightening sight to behold._

_Kyuubi plus happy equals disaster, thought Naruto as he instinctively took a step back, away from the gate - and more importantly the offensive sight of the grinning, fox. _

_Suddenly, where he was, came into focus  
><em>

_For some odd reason, known only to the Kyuubi, he was deep within his conscience, his inner self standing before the kyuubi's sealed gate. _

_It never bode well for anyone when Naruto found himself before Kyuubi._

_ More often than not, it usually happened right before he went on a rampage …_

_wait a minute..._

_oh my god..., thought Naruto, as he threw a frightened glance toward the beast , who seemed to be watching him with an expression of mixed sadistic amusement and glee, "what if he was about to go on a..._

_"You're not about to go on a rampage," , chipped in the Kyuubi, obviously reading his thoughts_

_Naruto gasped in outrage, which made the Kyuubi chuckle even more_

_" I never said I was" Naruto spat back defensively, pouting as he unconsciously squared himself up , crossing his arms over his chest and proceeding to glare venomously at the Kyuubi. Although he knew that the Kyuubi shared almost all of his thoughts and feelings- it certainly didn't make him feel grateful for it, considering it wasn't an equal arrangement. _

_Whilst the Kyuubi was privy to all his deep, dark secrets , every embarrassing moment and thought whilst Naruto knew absolutely nothing about what the demon was thinking, as was proven by their current situation- and it pissed him off to no end. _

_In addition Naruto could not shake off the feeling that the Kyuubi knew something and was hiding it from him. _

_Another deep snigger from the Kyuubiserved to prove Naruto's instinct right which in turn made the boy feel even more peeved_

_That damn evil old mangy fox!_

_"Oi oi there! No need for name calling" chided the Kyuubi, pretending to be offended, having caught that last thought._

_Truly and thoroughly irritated , Naruto stomped over to the sealed gate, to which the Kyuubi raised an eyebrow (was the boy dumb or insane)? , then proceeded to rattle the bars violently in frustration_

_Someone was having a tantrum_

_"Well if I ain't on a bleedin' rampage..." shouted the boy,"...what th' 'ell am I doin' here in this gawd-awful place? Tell me ...now datte'bayo!" he added, stomping his feet in emphasis._

_ He knew he was behaving childishly but he honestly didn't give a rat's ass. _

_The Kyuubi literally and metaphorically brought out the worst in him!_

_"Now ...what would be the fun in doing something like that?" replied the Kyuubi as he lazily drew one of his large long claws down along one of the bars of the gate- stopping precariously above the blond ninja's head_

_ Naruto stiffened when he realised the situation he was in, staring up into the kyuubi's large menacing eyes. All it would take would be one swift movement from the Kyuubi and it would be all over and they both knew it. _

_However, much to Naruto's surprise, the Kyuubi withdrew his claw, raising it to it's face and proceeded to inspect it, seemingly dismissing his young container._

_Naruto, finding the kyuubi's behaviour all too overwhelming, found himself suddenly on his knees , head hung low- whining and pleading, despite himself, to the demon fox_

_"C'mon 'teba, ya gotta tell me what's going on"_

_There a was a pause , in which Naruto thought the Kyuubi would not answer , obviously __keen to let his jailer stew in the pain of ignorance_

_-which in fact was not far from the truth._

_However, answer he did_

_"You have been a very busy boy haven't you, Uzumaki?" came the answer, in a slimy drawl that gave the Naruto the shivers_

_Confusion etched itself on the young blond ninja's face. _

_The damned fox was talking in riddles again._

_"What the h..."_

_"Why don't you try jogging your memory back to a particular night three weeks ago" interjected the smirking fox , an evil glint in it's eyes._

_"Three weeks...? A particular night..? I don't know wha-" Naruto was even more confused than before_

_"I beg to differ" Kyuubi cut in,"you know exactly what I'm talking about"_

_ Right... that was the final straw!_

_"Seriously Kyuubi, I'm gettin' kinda pissed off by this whole damn business," snapped Naruto,"either ya tell me whatcha want ta tell me or let me go datte'bayo"_

_"So impatient kit" admonished the fox mockingly,"however are you going to manage when you have kits of your own heh?_

_"Kits... ? What the hell Kyuubi 'teba!"_

_Naruto was beyond pissed now._

_It seemed his conversation with fox was leading no where._

_"Now now..." pacified the fox seemingly relenting to the agitated boy, "the night I was __referring to has something to do with your very interesting and vigorous jaunt with a certain dark haired Uchiha" _

_At that, Naruto visibly paled_

_"Whaaat!" he managed to splutter out._

_Oh hell he'd forgotten about the Kyuubi..._

_...and the Kyuubi had seen, heard and perhaps on some level, felt, what he had done with __Sasuke that fateful night._

_Oh how he wished he could just wither and die..._

_"I have to give you credit kit, you were one hell of a monster tha- "_

_"Shuddup __'tebayo__!" screamed Naruto, startling the Kyuubi,"ya 'ave no right bringin' that up! I don't care that I'm ya flamin' jinchuuriki - what me and Sasuke got up to has got nothin' to do with anyone else, let alone you !" D'ya understand what'm sayin' Kyuubi? " he added with so much venom and rage it almost made the demon fox proud._

_All the anger, hurt and loneliness he felt when he woke to find Sasuke gone after they'd slept together, came back double strength_

_"Again I beg to differ,"the Kyuubi retorted,"as my vessel, you're special Uzumaki and I'm afraid that your copulation with the Uchiha boy has led to some rather interesting results that even I, with my infinite wisdom, had not anticipated. However, I must say...the results have been most satisfactory"_

_" Special..results? Kyuubi what crap are ya spew- "shot back Naruto, momentary shocked out of his anger_

_"Don't fret kit.."interrupted the fox," you're about to find out soon enough. Now it's time for you to go back"_

_"Kyuubi wait!" shouted Naruto as he felt himself pulled back into consciousness, "what __d'ya mean..."_

_"Just a word of advice" came the distant deep voice of the Kyuubi, as his image began to blur from Naruto' s vision,"when I'm free, you better make sure I don't find you! For your sake, as well as your..."_

_He didn't hear the last part as he was suddenly hit by a bright light. He'd returned to consciousness  
><em>

_"_For my sake as well as my what... 'teba"? ___he tried to ask mentally._

_ For some reason, the last part that he'd missed, felt very important._

_Unfortunately, try as he might asking the the demon fox, he was awarded with nothing but silence. _

_Kyuubi obviously felt it'd given him more than enough info for one day._

_How marvellous !_

* * *

><p>"Naruto!" cried a familiar female voice that seemed to be laced with worry and anxiety<p>

Sakura...

He blinked his eyes, trying to focus and figure out where he was. The smell of antiseptic and disinfectant assailed his nostrils making him nauseous.

He was in hospital, and much to his surprise, most of his friends were there.

"Naruto you're awake!" shrieked Sakura, as she threw herself onto the befuddled blond, hugging him so tight he almost couldn't breathe.

Despite his flailing , no one seemed too bothered by the fact that Sakura was choking him half to death- most relieved that Naruto was conscious – which wouldn't be for long if Sakura didn't loosen her death grip on him.

It was only after Naruto managed to gasp out a plea, " A-ano...Sakura-chan ...c-can't ...b-breathe", that the pink haired female loosened her hold, donning a sheepish look .

It was unseemly for a med-nin to behave in such an amateur manner

"I was just worried you wouldn't wake up" she mumbled

Naruto grinned at her and she slowly and hesitantly smiled back, her face gradually brightening.

Sakura-chan is so cute, he found himself thinking.

"Ya cant get rid of me that easily dattebayo"he said softly, patting her gently on the back

"Wouldn't dare dream of it. I'd die without you baka" she whispered back gently, just loud enough for only his ears, before giving him another tight squeeze then releasing him to give the others a chance to speak to him.

Naruto was comforted by the knowledge Sakura words were sincere

He finally had bonds that couldn't be severed, he realised as he looked at the smiling faces of his friends, who'd all been worried for him

It made him feel grateful

"Welcome back to the world of the living buddy," grinned Kiba who was standing next to Sakura, "never had you down as a fainter!" he added with a sly grin, "that's something I expect Hinata to do... not you! Sure you ain't gone girly on us now have you?"

"Shuudup Kiba!"

"K-kiba-kun!" shouted Naruto and Hinata at the same time, both red in the face- the former throwing a badly aimed pillow at the laughing brunet, who easily dodged the missile by hiding behind Shikamaru, who was also in the room: whilst the latter hid her blushing face in her hands.

"Kiba stop teasing Naruto and Hinata" Shikamaru chided half-heartedly, and then turned to address Naruto, " but seriously speaking, Naruto, you had us worried there for a minute. Chouji, Shino , Ten-Ten and Neji all had to go but they asked the rest of us to keep them updated on how you're doing. Lee's just gone to fetch the hokage seeing that you weren't waking up. Do have any idea why you fainted at the stadium? " he asked,gazing down inquiringly at the blond who, with Sakura and Sai's help, was now sitting up in the hospital bed supported by a mass of fluffy pillows.

Much to Naruto' surprise he found that he was struggling to regain his strength. As it was, he could hardly sit up on his own

At Shikamaru's question, Naruto hesitated for a second, thinking back to his conversation with Kyuubi when he had been unconscious.

Could he tell his friends what the Kyuubi had said?

Of course everyone who was in the room now knew that he was the kyuubi's jinchuuriki and had accepted him regardless. However, he knew that if he revealed that the deterioration of his health _(if he was totally honest with himself, he hadn't felt right for weeks and had up to now dismissed it as him being down in the dumps over the whole being-abandoned-for-the-second-time-by-Sasuke issue)_ was somehow linked to Kyuubi, it could cause an uproar...

... and he didn't want that.

"I don't know" he lied

He decided there and then that he'd wait and see if he got any worse . There really was no need to worry his friends over nothing.

- and if he did find himself getting worse he'd go straight to the old hag.

But if he was to be honest, it was most probable that the Kyuubi was just screwing with him like he usually did and Naruto wasn't going to be stupid enough to fall for it.

At that deduction, he felt a little bit reassured...

...that is ...until he heard a faint dark mocking chuckle from inside his mind that seemed to say 'don't kid yourself'

...a sense of dread begun to grow in him

Most of his friends seemed to buy his answer, and they were all soon coming up with various ridiculous reasons as to why Naruto had fainted, with Kiba even suggesting that Naruto could be pregnant... to which both Sakura and Ino hit the dog boy on the noggin for being unhelpful.

Hah...that's what you get for being such an idiot and saying stupid things , Naruto thought smugly, grinning broadly as he watched the brunet rub his sore head whilst trying vainly to justify his foolish reason.

His grin faltered, when his eyes met Shikamaru's. Shikamaru had detected Naruto's momentary hesitation before and it was clear that he wasn't buying Naruto's lie.

Naruto averted his eyes, but fortunately Shikamaru did not say anything else , obviously deciding to let it go.

If Naruto wanted to tell he would... and in his own time

Naruto let out a sigh of relief and gave Shikamaru a small nod of appreciation , which didn't go unnoticed by Sai, who throughout everything, had remained quietly observant, only moving once to help Sakura sit Naruto up. He too, like Shikamaru felt that Naruto was hiding something but like Shikamaru, he also felt it was up to the blond to divulge when he saw fit.

He just hated seeing the usually energetic and jovial guy so down. It brought forth certain feelings in him that Sai didn't think he wanted to address

"Right Naruto, now that you're awake, I need to take a blood test" said Sakura pulling out sealed syringe and needle from her uniform,reverting to her med-nin persona,satisfied that her best friend was no longer on death's door, "it's okay that you're conscious and everything but we still don't know what caused you faint"

"N-now S-sakura-chan... i-is that n-n-necessary 'tebayo?" Naruto grimaced as he backed away further into his pillows- away from Sakura and her tool of absolute evil.

No way was she gonna stick that thing in him if he had anything to do with it!

"Naruto don't be so childish, it's only for a bloodtest," chided Ino who exhaled a large sigh of exasperation from watching the huddled blond teen, " Seriously someone'd think Sakura was coming at him with a kunai or something, "...at the most, it will only feel like a tiny little pinch."

Naruto swiped his right arm away from the pink haired female's reach

"I actually feel much better dont need ta do all that" he laughed nervously. Sakura scowled, clearly loosing patience,

"Come on Naruto, I haven't go all day"she said, tapping her foot impatiently

"You cant tell me apart from proneness to fainting , Naruto-chan, Konoha's future hokage is afraid of an iddle widdle needle?" teased Kiba, to which Naruto threw him a scathing glare

"I am NOT afraid on needles...I just don't like 'em is all dattebayo!"

"Well if you're not afraid of them, why don't you let me take a blood sample then"countered Sakura.

"Fine then", Naruto replied , keen to keep whatever shred of dignity he had left in front of his friends.

As if it wasn't bad enough he'd fainted like a girl... yet again!

He slowly offered his right arm to Sakura and immediately turned his head away when he felt her grasp it, tightly squeezing his eyes shut.

It was only a needle...a teeny tiny needle...it wasn't gonna hurt ...oh god...oh god...I cant do it...oh heck no!

Naruto yanked arm when he thought he felt the needle prick, unbalancing an unsuspecting Sakura, who in turn, proceeded to fall face down straight into his crotch.

Everyone gasped, Naruto's face burnt, turning a deep shade of red. Kiba began to snicker whilst the rest had the sense to try and conceal their bareley uncontainable mirth

Ino, especially let out an un lady-like snort

"Sorry " she manged to squeak out, struggling hard to contain her giggles

"Nicely done Naruto" Kiba praised mockingly, adding a wink at the bond boy,"couldn't have executed that better myself even if I planned it. I bet you've dreamt of a set up like this for a long time. Milk it while you can"

If looks could kill, Kiba would have spontaneously combusted from the dark glare Naruto was giving him. Unfortunately , Kiba was the last of Naruto's worries. The pink haired girl who was currently trembling on top of him was definitely top of the list

Sakura-chan I-I'm s-s-so sorry !" Naruto cried, his voice trembling with sheer terror and horror, as he tried to help push the pinkette's head up from his crotch. Sakura swatted his hands away.

Naruto yelped as he rubbed his sore hands , watching helplessly as Sakura raised her self up.

Murder was written in her eyes

"Sucks for you that you can't run away, coz if you could, now would've been the right time" chipped in Shikamaru, shaking his head in a mixture of sympathy and laughter.

The blond was dead meat

" Now S-s-sakura-chan... y-you need ta calm-ah ..aaargh-"

"NARUTOOOOOOO!"

* * *

><p>Tsunade was angry...<p>

No ... actually she was LIVID !

Never before had she felt an absolute desire to kill in cold blood!

...Well except for that one time Jiraiya snuck into the female baths when she'd been taking a soak... but right at that moment, she was pretty damn close.

Just who the hell did those brats think she was...

Slowly, she bent down to pick the offending pillow that had , only moments ago, hit her smack in the face , rising slowly to look at the débâcle that lay before her.

Behind her, Neji and Lee who had entered after her, stopped in their tracks, a look of horror pasted on both their faces.

They involuntary took a few steps back, thanking their lucky stars that they were not part of the group that had made, up to then, the current occupants of the room.

Especially since they noticed that their hokage was literally oozing murderous intent.

Meanwhile, oblivious to the impending danger, two team-mates were currently preoccupied in an energetic scuffle

"Ne Sakura chan teba I already said m' sorry"

"I swear to god , Naruto, if you don't sit still I will knock you unconsc..."

"Can someone, pray tell me why, exactly, in the name of all that is sacred, is Sakura strangling Naruto, of whom I understood was supposed to be um...let me see...currently on death's door... hmm?" interjected a seething Tsunade,who spoke in a deceptively soft voice that exuded danger, making every one in the room jump in surprise.

Sakura, who up to that point, had been holding a squirming Naruto's head in an arm lock, whilst her other hand held up a syringe menacingly, jumped , loosening her grip on the boy, proceeding to fall over the edge of the bed- landing hard on her behind

"T-tsunade-sama...!" she squealed in shocked horror, as did the others

"I hope this is not some kind of joke, because if it is... people are going to **die"** threatened Tsunade who held up the pillow she had in her hand," I was led to believe that Naruto was seriously ill and I come here to... to this idiocy. Do you have any clue how busy I am?" she added gesturing before her with the pillow.

"No.. I mean y-yes Tsunade-sama" replied a flustered Sakura, who was being helped off the floor by Sai and Shikamaru," Naruto **was** unconscious for quite a few hours until a few minutes ago. I was just trying to take a blood sample but he was being difficult"

Tsunade cast a a suspicious glance at Sakura and the rest of the occupants, who nodded in agreement.

Fortunately for everyone else, Naruto had the decency to look sheepish and he avoided her gaze

"Very well," she said seemingly satisfied with the excuse, "lets have a look at you then Naruto" she added throwing the pillow down and moving forward to sit on the edge of Naruto's bed, as Sakura moved away to make room.

Lee and Neji moved in closer to stand nearer to the bed, both smiling at Naruto in silent support

Tsunade gathered chakra into her palms until they were glowing green. She then began scanning the length of Naruto's body ,who at her request had resumed his initial position of lying on his back. She began her inspection from the head moving lower down to his shoulders and upper abdomen.

So far , she could not detect anything amiss.

Naruto's friends all huddled in around him and the hokage, eager to know what was happening.

Neji resisted the urge to use his byakugan.

He really hated not knowing what was happening and one quick glance at his cousin and he could tell she felt the same

"A little bit of room please" Tsunade asked, feeling a bit stifled.

This lot were a bunch of mothe hens, she thought amusedly as the worried teens moved back obediently. However, her amusement was cut short when...

"Oh!" a startled cry was forced from Tsunade's lips when she hovered over Naruto's belly

"What?" asked everyone one else collectively, turning to look at their hokage with worry etched on their faces

Tsunade looked up from Naruto's belly to the equally frightened blond's face. Seeing fear in Naruto's face was like a having water thrown in her face. She had to calm down .

"Oh it nothing serious," she blagged, not wanting to panic the youngsters, " thought I felt something just now but I'm sure it was nothing"

Seeing disbelief on the teens faces, she forced a relaxed smile," Actually my timing is a bit off since there's quite a lot of you in here. If you could let me examine Naruto in private I'm sure I'll be able to figure out quickly what is wrong" she added with as much reassurance she could muster.

Though reluctantly, Naruto's peers all left the room with Sakura and Sai on the tail

"and...eh Sakura.."

"Yes Tsunade-sama!"the pink haired girl perked up. Maybe Tsunade would let her stay. A quick glance at Naruto told her the blond boy felt the same. However, both were soon disappointed

"..can you ask Shizune to come here soon as possible please? Tell her it's urgent"

"Hai .." the younger female replied, crestfallen and then left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her

* * *

><p>When it came to medicine and medical conditions, very little tended to surprise Tsunade-hime.<p>

However, today she was VERY surprised.

Try as she might to think otherwise, she found the current situation she and Naruto were in very odd, as her hands hovered, once again, over Naruto's now exposed lower abdomen. The seal, which normally didn't show was there... bold and evident for all to see

It didn't make any sense since the Kyuubi seemed to be locked away tight and securely.

So why were the seals showing?

In addition she could detect some discrepancy in Naruto's chakra flow and most surprisingly, it had nothing to do with the demon fox-

-but something else completely

"Is it serious? Has the seal weakened?"" Naruto asked anxiously, seeing the scowl deepen on the hokage's face.

"Shizune!" Tsunade shouted to the assistant who stood behind he, , ignoring Naruto's question and in turn ignoring Naruto.

Shizune had arrived a few minutes after Tsunade had called for her and had managed to take Naruto's blood samples within seconds of her arrival

-through mere intimidation.

Naruto hadn't dared to refuse , seeing that the alternative Shizune had offered had sounded so much worse

One had to be careful, considering needlework was one of the the assistant's combat specialities.

So Naruto inevitably ended up taking the safer, less bloody choice and much to his astonishment, it had not been as gruesome as he'd imagined it'd be.

He still, however, did not like needles!

"Yes Tsunade-sama!" Shizune answered dutifully

" Can you go get me the results for Naruto's blood test now please?"

"But Tsunade-sama, it's only been a few minutes since they've been sent to the lab" Shizune replied, confusion etched on her face, "and as you know, there's usually a long waiting list . The earliest we could possibly get them would be by tomorrow morning"

At that, Tsunade gave Shizune such a tempestuous glare, so intense it made younger female blanch in terror.

Naruto was also starting to feel unsettled.

"I don't give a toss Shizune! I am the bleedin' hokage and if I say I want the blood test results now, they'd bloody well better be done now ! So get it done...NOW!" she roared

"Yes Tsunade-hime" spluttered Shizune as she literally stumbled out of the door in her haste.

Left alone with the hokage, Naruto watched as Tsunade turned to stare at the blank wall before her scowling and rubbing her chin as if in deep contemplation, the boy not knowing what to say or do.

The silence stretched for what seemed like hours, though in actual truth, it were only a few minutes

Fed up of being ignored , Naruto decided to get answers

"Oi old hag, I'm still here ya know"

Tsunade jumped, as if she'd forgotten Naruto was there.

"Oh...I'm sorry Naruto, what did you say" she answered absently.

Naruto noticed that she refused to look him in the eyes.

Naruto wasn't the cleverest tool in the toolbox , but even he could tell something was up and Tsunade was hiding something .

Suddenly he felt tired .

He'd had this with the Kyuubi and he'd be damned if was going to go through it all again with Tsunade

"C'mon Tsunade obbachan just tell me already coz I'm really getting fed up of guessin' stuff. First Kyuubi and now you... I just cant take it anymo-o...oh shit!"

Naruto realised his mistake a little too late

"Kyuubi?" Tsunade's head snapped up at the mention of the demon fox, turning to glare furiously at the horrified l blond teen who had a hand clamped over his mouth,

"Kyuubi Naruto?" she screeched in near hysterics, grabbing the boy by the shoulders and shaking him vigorously suddenly making him nauseous,

"C-can you stop . I think I'm gonna be sick" Naruto managed to say before he began to heave. Fortunately for both of them there was an empty bedpan that Tsunade managed to get under Naruto before he started throwing up. There was a long moment of silence only interrupted by Naruto heaving and throwing up.

It did nothing to alleviate Tsunade's heart and or, more importantly, her suspicions.

It simply couldn't be possible...

Unless the Kyuubi was involved somehow - then... it could...couldn't it?

After Naruto finished throwing up his ramen lunch- the sight almost putting him off his staple diet for good- Tsunade covered the foul basin with a towel she'd found lying on top of a cabinet next to the head of Naruto's bed, and went to open the door; offering the pan to Sakura who was waiting with both Kakashi, who'd just arrived, and Sai outside.

The others had left to go on their various missions and duties but team seven had remained waiting ever vigilant for news of their comrade.

Tsunade returned with a glass of water, grabbed from one of the nurses passing by outside, offering it to Naruto who drank it appreciatively.

Tsunade watched the boy as he drank, trying to find a proper way to broach the subject which was both on their minds, as tactfully as possible.

"So when were you going to tell me about the Kyuubi...huh Naruto?" she asked, dealing with what she felt was the simpler issue first," You know you have to tell somebody if anything happens to you because of the Kyuubi right?"

Naruto nodded. There was nothing he could say... he was in the wrong

So...what did it say?" Tsunade pushed

"He didn't say much" Naruto mumbled , his eyes averted.

At least he wasn't completely lying.

The Kyuubi hadn't actually told him anything really, just a lot of weird stuff that hardly made sense except for the last part where it seemed pretty sure it'd be free soon.

The elders would have a fit if they knew this and Naruto knew if they ever found out, he could kiss his freedom bye bye.

For now he would keep it from Tsunade

Tsunade eyed him suspiciously.

The boy was lying …

...and if he wasn't... he certainly was hiding something!

"If you say so" Tsunade shrugged in dismissal, causing Naruto to narrow **his** eyes in suspicion.

He couldn't believe Tsunade was leaving it at that. Tsunade never left anything at just that! She usually was so tenacious and persistent when she really wanted to know something , that more often than not Naruto and anyone else unfortunate to be her target, found themselves folding within seconds of her interrogation The woman , when determined could give Ibiki a run for his money

However, who was he to shoot himself in the foot.

He was welcomed any form of respite given, though some inkling told him it wasn't over

* * *

><p>At first Tsunade thought to threaten the information out of him, but she knew that Naruto was stubborn and he could be infuriatingly tight-lipped when he chose to be, so she decided to let it go...for now<p>

Anyway, if her suspicions were correct, she was pretty sure Naruto was going to tell her himself what the Kyuubi had said.

That is if Shizune would hurry back with the tests.

Both woman and adolescent sat the next few minutes in silence, with Tsunade staring at Naruto contemplatively.

"What?" Naruto squirmed, when the silence and Tsunade's open staring began to make him feel nervous again.

He didn't like her staring at him.

It unnerved him.

Tsunade coughed to clear her throat, averting her gaze, suddenly feeling hot.

Boy... this was not going to be easy

"Em..Naruto...can I ask you a personal question?" Tsunade started again, choosing to grab the bull by the horns

Naruto raised his eyebrow in suspicion.

He wasn't sure if liked where this conversation was heading.

However, if he was going to find out what was wrong with him he would just have to play along

"Yeah whatever" he answered hesitantly, lowering his gaze down to his hands . If it was going to be an incriminating question , he was going to make sure he wouldn't look Tsunade in the eye, just in case he had to lie to her.

"Do you know how babies are made?"

"Wha- babies..? " spluttered Naruto, forgetting his resolve and looking up to stare incredulously at his hokage, who he was pretty sure was starting to show signs of going senile.

What the heck did babies have to do with anything?

"Just answer the question Naruto" insisted Tsunade, returning his stare with a grim serious one of her own

The tips of Naruto's ears, along with his face, went red with embarrassment .

He'd been so busy with training and chasing after Sasuke that he was ashamed to admit that he had little time to focus on anything else, especially baby making and therefore didn't know much.

He did , however know, that it was a rather delicate subject matter and it involved a man and a woman. He also had his suspicions, considering he'd been in ero-sennin's company for more than three years.

He'd have to be incredibly dumb not to pick up on a few things.

However, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Tsunade by saying something that could very well be wrong and have himself labelled a pervert... he decided to be totally honest with Tsunade

"I'm not sure" he whispered in response, returning his gaze back down to his hands, "what does this have to do with me anyway?"

Plenty, believe me, thought Tsunade but she chose to ignore his question, preferring to give an improtu sex ed lesson instead

"Well when a woman and man have sex...I'm pretty sure you know what sex is seeing that you've travelled a long time with Jiraiya" she emphasised knowingly, to which Naruto nodded meekly, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him, " if they time it right a baby can be produced. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Although, somewhere deep inside him, he was secretly pleased that his suspicions had been right.

"A man and a man or a woman and a woman cannot have babies together coz they don't have the right ingredients to make one. It requires male and female parts " continued Tsunade.

Oh lord it was getting worse...

…. and Naruto had to resort to merely nodding to show that he was listening.

" There's never been a time in history that a man's been able to give birth"

Well duh, Naruto thought as he gave Tsunade a pitying look, everyone knew women carried babies .He'd seen a lot of pregnant women around in the village and he always thought they looked really pretty, despite the fact that they were usually fat and round like dango balls

" That is until..." Tsunade trailed off, unable to carry on.

No.. although she knew what she'd felt... it hadn't been confirmed yet.

Anyway... she'd know once Shizune got back.

"Until what..." Naruto asked , his curiosity piqued. He still couldn't understand why they were having this embarrassing conversation in the first place and wished more than anything it would be over soon but he'd hear the old woman out

He ended up regretting it when Tsunade's next question, which was totally unexpected and more rhetorical than anything , bowled him over.

"You've had sex recently haven't you Naruto?"

"I-I-I wha-...how did ya...huh?"

What the hell was that about?

And how the bloody heck did they start off with babies and end up talking about his sex life? (_Even if his sex life consisted of just that one time with Sasuke, he'd always thought he'd loose his virginity to a woman...preferably Sakura...and not his best friend and a BOY!)_

And just how did Tsunade obbachan know...?

Was it ANBU. Did they hear something that night ?

Kakashi?

….Sasuke...? No...even in his shock, Naruto had to acknowledge that Sasuke would be the last person to ever admit that they had sex to anyone, even himself.

Thankfully, Shizune chose that moment to come in, panting, as if she'd been running for her life, holding a folder which clearly held Naruto's blood test results.

Whilst Naruto was still reeling from the shock of Tsunade's question, the older woman calmly took the folder offered by an exhausted Shizune and opened it, betraying no emotion as she read it.

Satisfied by what she read, she handed the folder back to Shizune, nodding for Shizune to read as well. She chose to watch her assistant as the younger female began to read the results

"Oh... my... heaven help us" shrieked Shizune when she digested the implications of the results, her knees buckling beneath her as she fell on her knees onto the floor- her intense reponse stunning Naruto out of his horrified stupor, " how is it even possible?" she asked in a ne'er hysterical voice looking at Naruto as if he'd suddenly grown a pair of wings.

"What wrong with me teba? " Naruto asked shakily, seriously starting to freak out, his voice rising a notch higher, in a wave of hysteria matching Shizune's, "can someone please tell me already! Tsunade obbachan?" he added turning to the hokage his eyes shouting a desperate plea

Tsunade turned from the stumped Shizune to face a shaking Naruto, gently but firmly taking both his hands into hers; looking squarely into his eyes.

He could feel her hands shaking and he could see hysteria threatening to spill from the depths of her eyes.

Tsunade was also panicking...

Which meant he was dying !

Oh my god... I'm was DYING! Naruto thought in horror

He was too young to die...

There was so much he still had to do...

He hadn't even become hokage yet...

"Congratulations Naruto..." Tsunade said in a shaky voice

This is it I'm done for...eh?

Wait a minute...congratulations...? Naruto watery eyes searched Tsunade's in confusion.

What did she mean by congratulations...?

"...congratulations Naruto... you're PREGNANT!"

beat...

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said you're pregnant Naruto"

" I thought that's what ya sed" Naruto answered with a calmness he didn't feel.

Hah ...funny joke

But when he looked into Tsunade's eyes he saw no mirth there...

A familiar sensation of spinning began, and for the first time Naruto welcomed it .

"Naruto!" screamed both Tsunade and Shizune. He was falling...

Tsunade's and Shizune's faces became blurry and the comforting darkness was soon upon him.

Ah...sweet comforting abyss

_TBC..._

(Ps: This was such a bitch to write, please forgive any crapness oh and i've retouched a little. Is it me or has my writing had gotten a lot worse than when I first begun (not I was great to begin with). I was really looking forward to writing this chapter but now I just hate it. I think it has to be the worst of the shite I've written so far. I just couldn't get into it and I apologise to those who chose to read this ... I'll try to be better next time)


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** same as always I wissh I owned Narruto but I dont so there it is

**Warnings:** same as before and if you aint sure just check the previous chapters

**Note:** I'd written this amazing note section but the site decided to freeze on me and didn't blooming save the lovely message I left for u guys and now I'm tired and I aint sure I can write it out all again, since I have to dothe spell check all over again. But I'll try.

Weill it went something like this" massive big up to my usual reviewers and thank you to the new reviewers yadi yadi yada and then something about me lacking the motivation to write a new chapter for the fic but then remembering the pain I'd felt when I read a fic and I really sunk my teeth into it only to have no one update it when it got to the good part. I shall not put you guys through the misery that I suffered though ,even if my fic is nowhere as good as the one's I read. and then there was the bit urging you gys to review as it is really helpful in motivating people, and by people I mean me, to write.

Here is to the new installment. Enjoy...

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><p><strong>Somewhere in Konoha Hospital<strong>

Naruto opened his eyes to fuzziness and blinding light.

He'd had the weirdest dream. Something about babies and sex education- although he couldn't remember what exactly.

But what he was sure about was it had been a really odd dream for him to have.

Babies?... Seriously...

At that thought he tried to remember his dream and once again it eluded him.

Oh well it probably wasn't important anyway, he thought with a mental shrug.

After all dreams were just dreams...

Maybe he should try getting up, he decided.

He blinked rapidly trying to clear the thick fog in his eyes and adjust his eyes to the brightness of the hospital room he was in.

Naruto knew he was in hospital because he could smell the antiseptic and disinfectant that he'd come to associate with hospitals, on the account of the many times he'd ended up in it _(through no fault of his own mind – many people were always trying to hurt , kidnap or kill him- sigh)_ and surprisingly for the life of him he couldn't remember why he was there in the first place.

The blond wrinkled his nose as the smell seemed to grow stronger. Naruto's sense of smell had always been sharper than most people , thanks to the evil parasite that resided in him (the damn mangy pest).

However he'd never been bothered by the hospital's smell before therefore it was strange that he was now.

The smell was so strong he could feel a headache coming on as well as a wave of nausea slowly building up from the pit of his stomach.

This is weird, he thought.

Very weird indeed...

"Oh... you're awake" a familiar female voice spoke softly.

Naruto was startled out of his musings to look up to a pair liquid golden eyes

'Baa-chan wh-" he started, weakly trying to get up, surprised that she'd been sitting by his bedside in the room all this time and he'd not even sensed her.

He must really be ill, he concluded

" Careful there" said Tsunade as she reached over to help him out when his arms suddenly trembled from the weight of his body

" Oi stop that..."Naruto swatted her hands away in irritation, "I can do it myself thank ya very much, I ain't a girl ya know!".

Just because for some unknown reason his chakra felt the weakest it's ever been in his entire life, he was not willing to let Tsunade or anyone else help or pity him .

Tsunade arched an eyebrow in amusement, raising her hands back in mock defeat

" You could have fooled me" Tsunade muttered under her breath as she settled back into the chair she'd asked Shizune to bring in whilst Naruto was unconscious.

" What do you mean by that? " Naruto at Tsunade, having caught her comment, " I am not a girl!".

" I mean with you and the baby I-"

" Baby? What the hell are tallki- oh"

Naruto's jaw dropped and his eyes popped out in horrified understanding, locking into Tsunade's soft sympathetic ones as memories started flooding back. The dream he'd been trying to remember came back... no

...it hadn't been a dream... it'd actually happened

He'd passed out at Sasuke's trial and when he'd come to, Tsunade had told him the reason he'd been feeling weird for the past three weeks was because he was supposedly pregnant.

Pregnant?

Ridiculous!

Ha.. who does Tsunade think she's kidding with heh, " thought Naruto as he felt laughter starting to build up within him.

He was Uzumaki Naruto...as if anyone could pull a wool over his eyes!

He wasn't known as the Prince of Pranksters for nothing!

Tsunade watched as Naruto started to laugh and shook her head in pity.

'Poor kid's lost it', she thought.

Which wasn't at all surprising seeing that he was facing the daunting fate of being the first **ever **pregnant male in the history of the Ninja, if not the whole, world.

She silently watched him as his hysterical laughter slowly simmered down to out of breath chuckles

" Se-ri-ous-sly ba-achan" Naruto panted, " tha-nks t' ya I think I'm feelin' so much better. That has t' be the funniest thing I've ever heard" he added, grabbing at his sides that hurt from the stitches caused by his laughing so hard., " Cant believe y' had me so convinced about the whole being knocked up- t' think I actually passed out -y' got me real good this time ol' hag- real good. I ain't never gonna live it down when Kiba and Sai find out ha ha ha"

Tsunade let out a long sigh.

The boy was rambling

which could only mean one thing

Denial

-seriously who could blame him- and from what she knew of Naruto, it was gonna take her a long time to convince him she hadn't been joking.

If only he knew how much she wished she had been!

They were in BIG trouble!

Tsunade decided to wait until Naruto had gotten over his fit of the giggles. It was important that he was fully composed if they were to salvage something out of the unexpected disaster they were now facing.

On the other hand, Naruto whose chuckles had died down at the sombre look the hokage gave him was beginning to feel self conscious- especially when Tsunade did not say anything back.

He'd called her an old hag.

That always guaranteed at least a threat but so far she just kept looking at him with an expression he was afraid to interpret

" Baa-chan?" he ventured cautiously, panic slowly replacing the rapidly dying laughter he'd felt only moments before, " it was a joke... right?" he asked his brilliant blue eyes searching Tsunade's warm golden ones.

Tsunade reached out her hands to cradle Naruto's, which had collapsed limply onto his laps, and squeezed them tightly as she let out another long sigh.

Her reaction told Naruto everything

"Naruto... I-"

"NO!" he shouted, snatching his hands from hers, " It cant be... you're lying!"

" Naruto its true, I have never lied to you before and I wont start now . All your results say you're preg-"

"Don't say it" Naruto cut in with a hiss, as he raised his hands to cover his ears. He knew he was acting childish but then again Tsunade was saying crazy stuff .

Men cant get pregnant.

Even if they could , he definitely wasn't .

It simply wasn't possible.

" Naruto look at me " Tsunade beseeched, as the blond boy turned away from her, " I know this is something that we – er – never thought could happen but it has and we need to deal wi-

" We ain't dealin' with nuthin' coz there ain't nuthin' ta deal with" interrupted Naruto, yet again, as he turned back to glare furiously at Tsunade, " let's pretend we never had this conversation and just let me go home." he added , whipping off the hospital bed covers and readying himself to get up and walk away from the craziness that seemed to have taken a hold over Tsunade.

Maybe it wasn't him that was supposed to be in the hospital bed- the hokage had been looking rather run down of late , he thought as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and started to push himself up of the bed

" GAKI SIT DOWN, AND JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" shouted Tsunade , startling both Naruto and Shizune , the former collapsing back on the bed and the latter almost dropping the scrolls in her hands as she entered back into the room.

Tsunade had sent Shizune to get the scrolls from the restricted sectionof Konoha's archive facility , the restricted area only accessed by the hokage and a few select individuals which , unfortunately for Tsunade, included Danzo, Homura and Koharu.

Anyway , fortunately the scrolls Tsunade had sent Shizune to get were locked with a special seal which only the Hokage's would be able to open and for the umpteeth time since she waited for Shizune to come back , Tsunade thanked her lucky stars for Hiruzen ojisan's foresight.

Shizune cleared her throat to gain her mistress' attention, holding out the scrolls to her

" I brought the scrolls you asked for Tsunade-sama" she said as Tsunade took the offered scrolls with nod of thanks, " and er- Sakura-san and the others were asking when they would be allowed to er- um- see Naruto-kun" she added as she nodded towards Naruto, giving him a slight smile blushingly .

Naruto scowled in response , knowing that Shizune was aware of the condition he supposed to be in seeing as she'd been there when Tsunade read the results .

Frankly, Naruto was disappointed by Shizune-nee's reaction.

He could fathom Tsunade coming up with crazy theories and buying into them since she was one sandwich short of a picnic but Shizune too?

He'd always had her down as a sensible, realistic , no nonsense and reliable sort of person...

...but then again having to work with Tsunade and dealing with her short temper, violent outbursts, alcoholic tendencies, gambling and laziness on a day to day basis was bound to take its toll on even the strongest ninja and maybe it was too much for her .

Maybe she too had lost her mind after reaching her limit

"Stall them for a while and don't let them know about the pregnancy"

Naruto visibly winced at the term but Tsunade ignored him and carried on,

" I do not want them knowing for now and I want absolutely no one and I mean NO ONE Shizune, knowing about this situation understand me" she added with a little bit of command and force

'Hai" came the dark-haired woman's dutiful answer, as she turned to leave the room- giving Naruto a small comforting smile before she quickly disappeared out of the room.

Naruto felt a twinge of regret and panic at the other woman's departure.

For some reason, despite his recent thoughts, he still thought having Shizune in the room would've offered at least one sane person in the room.

"Now that you've had your mini strop, it's time we had a proper discussion" Tsunade started in tone that left no room for argument, and which honestly, pissed Naruto off.

"Well I'm sorry to break it t'ya baba, but as I sed b'fore when you were not obviously listenin', we ain't gonna be havin' no discussion or nuthin'," Naruto shot back in a huff, crossing his arms over his chest , pouting and glaring daggers at Tsunade, " coz there ain't nuthin to discuss dattebayo!"

Tsunade did not reply instantly but just stared at Naruto, who in turned stubbornly glared back as if challenging her to say otherwise .

Their stare off lasted over a minute until Tsunade looked away , raising her hand to her temple, feeling a headache coming on.

She'd known talking to Naruto was going to be difficult when she thought about it whilst he'd been unconscious, but for him to completely shut off and deny his condition – that she'd not anticipated.

If it'd been any other guy, it would've been a completely normal reaction, but she'd assumed that Naruto would've been a little bit open to the idea since he was a jinchuuriki- which Tsunade suspected was the reason he was up the duff to begin with, and weird stuff was always happening to him - but he was proving to be too much of a guy; jinchuuriki or not.

If only I could show the baby to him, maybe he'd believe me, she thought tiredly as she lowered her head in dejection at Naruto's triumphant look, but she knew it was still too early see anything on the ultrasound.

It was lucky she'd been able to sense it when she scanned- wait a minute-

...sense... that's it!

Tsunade's head shot up- a wide smile growing rapidly, on her face making Naruto eye her with suspicion .

"Naruto- give me your hands" she ordered excitedly

"Why?" came the suspicious response, as Naruto unconsciously drew his hands away into his chest defensively

"Just do it baka!" Tsunade barked back starting to lose her already short temper

The blond boy tentatively offered his hands which Tsunade grabbed with muttered _'che- you'd think I bite'_ as she led his hands to his navel

"What are y' doin'?" said an apprehensive Naruto as Tsunade's hands started glowing green and he could feel her chakra though his hands.

"Shh- be quiet or I'll lose my concentration" she snapped, her eyes closed, "...and close your eyes and focus on my chakra"

"Why should I- what are y-"

"Naruto please for the first time in your life can you just listen and do something you're told without arguing back" interjected Tsunade tiredly, ".. If only you would realise how much trouble we're in... so can you please just do it for me" she pleaded.

"Fine" Naruto conceded in exasperation, letting out a long sigh.

When was Tsunade going to realise that what she was doing was just a waste of time and he wasn't really preg-

Gah... bleugh!

He couldn't even stomach thinking about the ghastly word let alone believe in it.

However, Naruto closed his eyes as Tsunade asked and waited.

The sensation of Tsunade's chakra flowing into his hands reminded him of a similar incident when he'd lent Chiyo-obaasan his chakra when they had to resurrect Gaara.

Funny how this time it was the other way round.

"Now I want you to concentrate Naruto and using a small amount of your chakra, follow the path my chakra has laid out for you" came Tsunade's soft calm voice that signalled that she was now in what most people recognised as her doctor mode, " can you see it?"

"Yeah I can see it," came Naruto's short reply as he saw, or for use of a better term, 'sensed' Tsunade's blue-green chakra that seemed to lead deep into the core of his navel.

He followed Tsunade's chakra trail and was starting to wonder what the hell he was doing until...

...that is ...until he saw 'it'!

He gasped deeply and his eyes popped open- to stare at Tsunade, who had withdrawn her hands at the sound, her steady gaze meeting his unfalteringly as if to say _'I told you I wasn't lying'._

"T-this cant be..." came Naruto's breathless whisper as his gaze fell back onto his glowing hands that still hovered over his navel

"Now do you believe me?"

Naruto wanted to say no but he knew that it would be a lie

He had sensed his regular coil of blue chakra intertwined with the red hot chakra from the Kyuubi, the latter which had flared up a bit at Tsunade's invasive and foreign chakra.

However most shocking was an additional radiating small pool of chakra that he intrinsically knew hadn't been there before.

A steady stream of both his and the Kyuubi chakra currently flowed to this third pool which felt like a separate life force all together.

There was no doubt about it now

He'd felt it...damn...he could still feel it...

He really was pregnant!

It was official... his life was now over!

As if he wasn't enough of a freak as it was...

"Tsunade baa-chan, what am I going do now?" Naruto asked the hokage with the most broken expression on his face, that it nearly broke Tsunade's heart, "what am I going to do?"

Tsunade stood up from her chair, sat herself on the edge of Naruto's bed and gathered the stricken boy in her ample bosomed embrace, which Naruto made no effort to fight off.

In fact, Naruto sank further into warm sweet smelling softness of Tsunade's hug and was surprised to feel wetness on his cheeks.

He was crying

"Hush now child," soothed Tsunade as she gently stroked his shaking back as his sobs escalated, but fortunately for him, they were muffled by the hokage's gigantic breasts, " "we'll figure something out don't worry- hush now."

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><p><strong>Somewhere underground<strong>

"What's the status report" asked the bandaged man

"The jinchuuriki fainted after the trial and the hokage is seeing to him" answered a masked individual who knelt before the first man, "she has been with him for over two hours. His team is not even allowed in with him."

"Hmm" The bandaged man raised his only available hand to his chin , rubbing it as he digested the information. The other man remained kneeling, his masked face bowed and facing the floor.

"Is that all you have to report?" asked the bandaged man after a few minutes of silence

"Well- there is something- though I don't know how relevant it is" the masked subordinate answered hesitantly

"Do go on"

"At one point the hokage sent her assistant to collect something from the restricted section of the archives, but we couldn't follow as it is of bounds for us and any attempt to follow would have triggered the alarm, therefore we don't know what she got out."

"Interesting" came the reply, "interesting indeed."

At the new information the bandaged man seemed lost in contemplation.

"May I take your leave now sir?"

"Yes yes" the bandaged man waved the man off absently .

The information he'd just got was too intriguing.

"Wait!" the bandaged man suddenly called out before the masked man disappeared

"Hai Danzou-sama?"

"Make sure to keep an eye on the jinchuuriki and report to me everything you discover, even if it's the most minuscule detail- understand?

"Hai"

"You may go" Danzou said in dismissal to the masked root ninja

"Hai" replied the ninja and with a 'poof' he was gone.

Things were going to get interesting, thought Danzou, interesting indeed...

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><p>tbc<p>

hope u guys liked it. til next time...


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: same as always

**Warnings: **same as before

**Notes:** To Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan , I appreciate your comment on Naruto's way of speaking and will try to make it less cut up. Just wanted you to know, I deliberately did that to convey his frazzled state of mind and since Naruto for me is, less refined and articulate than most of the characters, I thought that writing in that manner would best reflect that. I hope this didn't take away too much of your enjoyment of the overall story. N'way, thanks for you constructive review . It's much appreciated .

Just a heads up to Rosebunse ,Kativa-chan, Sanz0girl,kiki2222 and last but not least VioletKitsune15 . You guys are what keeps me going and just wanted to say thank you. Here is an early update just for you coz you're amazing!

Enjoy and please remember to review...: )

* * *

><p>Naruto felt embarrassed.<p>

Naruto felt ashamed.

He was crying...

He hardly ever cried, let alone sob his guts out like a woman in front of the hokage, whilst being cradled like a baby in a heaving chest of voluptuous breasts.

As if his dignity wasn't in tatters already- he was also a pregnant sixteen year old BOY who also happened to be a massive big sissy.

The way things were going , he could very well kiss his masculinity goodbye, start wearing dresses and change his name to Kimiko.

But what annoyed him the most was- try as he might to stop them- the tears kept coming in bucket loads.

In addition Tsunade was currently cooing and hushing , stroking his hair and trembling back, whilst rocking him back and forth.

He'd finally hit rock bottom!

However, despite the feelings of immense disgrace and shame that tore through him like a gigantic shredder, for some unknown reason, having Tsunade coddle and comfort him felt kinda...

...nice.

...safe.

...secure.

He imagined the sensation he was feeling was what other children felt when their parents hugged and comforted them.

He felt a dull ache in his chest as he remembered how he'd never had that security-

How when he was young , he had watched with an aching longing and painful envy as his peers (_they hadn't been proper friends then_) hugged their mothers and fathers when the latter came to pick them up from the academy or the playground.

How he had wished and prayed so fervently, back then, for someone to hug him and comfort him when he was sad, frightened or hurt (_which was almost all the time in his case_)...

... but no one ever came.

And now here he was , being cradled like he was someone important by someone who thought he was important...

…and he'd never been more miserable in his life!

After what felt like eternity , his sobs finally died down and he gently and reluctantly (_though he would deny feeling the latter most passionately if asked_) pulled himself out of Tsunade's warm embrace .

His eyes shied away from the hokage's soft questioning ones as the embarrassment of his meltdown hit him.

The room suddenly felt a bit too warm for comfort.

Understanding his need to collect himself, Tsunade relinquished her hold of him, got up from the bed, sat herself back in her chair and waited.

"A-are ya sure it ain't a tumour?" a voice raspy and broken from crying finally spoke, after a long silence- his watery cerulean eyes warily meeting molten gold ones

Tsunade arched an eyebrow at the question but then saw the desperation in Naruto's eyes and understood perfectly.

Naruto was never one to mope and wallow in his own misery and whilst both knew what they'd sensed wasn't a tumour , Tsunade knew Naruto had to deal with his situation in his own way and therefore decided to play along-

"A tumour Naruto... seriously?" she replied in mock exasperation, "...since when does a tumour have it's own chakra brat?"

"Maybe it's a chakra tumour or somethin'" Naruto argued back, just for the sake of arguing really, though, even to him, it sounded ridiculous.

Tsunade gave an unladylike snort at that, which had the boy pouting,

" Well it could happen" he mumbled grumpily

"I can assure you Naruto it cant ..." replied Tsunade smirking indulgently, "...and do you know why that is you silly boy?"

Naruto merely growled at the_ 'silly boy'_ comment, refusing to answer her back.

Tsunade carried on anyway,

"..that's because there is no such thing as a chakra tumour"

"Well I bet when we got up this morning there weren't no such thing as a pregnant man," countered the blond boy bitterly, "... and what do we have here ...a bleedin' pregnant man!" he added sardonically whilst pointing to himself.

"Fair enough" answered Tsunade, allowing him that little victory, " however as much as we wish it, we both know this is not a _'chakra tumour' _as you so boldly put it...but a baby"

"Yeah" came Naruto's resigned reply, as he carelessly slumped back onto the mountain of pillows behind him, staring dejectedly and blankly before him, " it really sucks to be me right now!"he added to no one particular

Although she felt for the boy and his predicament, Tsunade couldn't help but feel that they had to deal with Naruto's pregnancy as soon as possible...

... that is, before the wrong sort of people got wind of it.

And as much as she wanted to indulge the boy who so reminded her of her late brother Nawaki and lover Dan, they really did not have the luxury of time to do so.

Therefore, with a deflated sigh, she put her serious hokage face on

"Now that we've established that it's a baby and not a tumour, we need to think of what to do next" she started, startling Naruto from his vacant staring

"M' sorry what?" he answered with a start when he realised Tsunade had spoken to him.

"Pay attention gaki..." scolded Tsunade, " ...now is not the time to be spacing out. Anyway, as I said...we need to decide what we have to do next."

"Oh"

Naruto didn't want to do that.

If he could have his own way, he'd just ignore the problem and hope it somehow went away, but he knew that it wasn't possible .

There'd be no way hiding a big , fat round belly when he started to show.

Therefore he was going to have to deal with this disaster now, whether he liked it or not.

But that didn't mean he couldn't grumble about it.

However, one look at Tsunade's face told him that him grumbling and complaining wouldn't have a positive outcome for him and for once in his life, he wisely decided to keep his trap shut.

" Now first things first" Tsunade started again, bending over to pick up the scrolls she'd dropped on the floor when she'd previously got up to comfort him before, " since I didn't sense any of the kyuubi's chakra in the baby's core- I'm going on a limb here in assuming the other parent is someone else. Someone human? "

Tsunade's question startled Naruto.

Parent?

What did she mean by parent?

Wasn't it obvious that he was the little brat's parent since he was the one bloody carrying it?

Was Tsunade finally loosing her marbles as he initially suspected, thought Naruto as he eyed the hokage in confusion

However, her question niggled at something in the back of his mind, something he'd forgotten...

-something that felt very important and was sure he wasn't going to like one bit once he remembered what it was.

When Naruto didn't reply and gazed at her stupidly instead, with confusion written all over his face, Tsunade decided to elaborate further

"What I mean is who is the _father_ of your baby Naruto?"she repeated, stressing the word father, since technically Naruto was it's 'mother'

Naruto's heart stilled, when the meaning of Tsunade's question finally sunk in...

Oh crap, he thought

Of course for there to be a baby, two people had to be involved in the making …

….and the only person he'd ever been involved with was...

'OH MY GOD!' Naruto mentally creamed as his eyes bulged out in horrified realisation...

Sasuke!

Could his day get any worse...

* * *

><p>Sasuke was being discharged from the hospital.<p>

He could not wait to get out of the stifling, suffocating place... with it's never-ending white walls and heavy antiseptic smells.

His head still felt heavy and according to Neji, would continue to do so, though both he and Hiashi both assured him that he would not notice after a while.

Sasuke snorted at that thought.

He could understand Neji telling him that, since the older boy also had a similar seal placed on him, but he couldn't for the life of him understand how Hiashi could know, since he was from the head family and had never been sealed in his life.

Typical of elders of this village, he thought bitterly, they always assume they know what's happening when they have absolutely no clue and then make decisions that ruin instead of save lives.

The worst thing , to Sasuke , was that most of them would probably justify their actions by claiming it was all for the sake of the village

Well... things were going to change very soon.

That was Sasuke's silent promise to Konoha

"Sasuke -sama, it's time to go" Neji's deep stoic voice broke into his thoughts, startling him out of his reverie. He was grateful that his Uchiha breeding, as well as the three years stint he'd pulled in Orochimaru's hideout had trained him well in hiding his feelings; so that no matter how surprised he was , even as Neji had managed to sneak up on him, outwardly he would always remain impassive and unmoved.

His mask was perfect .

However, he made a mental note to keep an eye out for the hyuuga.

There was something about Neji's milky eyes that made him feel like he had to keep his guard up whenever the other boy was near

The said boy, who was now his assigned 24/7 escort and guard for the next month (_much to his extreme displeasure_) had just returned from signing both of them out from the hospital ward and was currently gesturing towards the exit as an indication for them to leave

- as if saying it to Sasuke hadn't been enough.

"Hn" was the only response he gave the older boy and without sparing him a glance , Sasuke was already heading towards the door.

He did not even glance at the pretty nurses that stole flirty glances at him or the flock of females that had gathered around him, pushing and shoving each other to get a glimpse of Konoha's very handsome and most eligible dark haired bachelor, batting their eyelashes furiously as he walked past.

If he'd boasted (_not that he really would_) a massive fan-base of females before, the hokage's decree seemed to have tripled the amount of female interest the Uchiha already garnered.

Just his luck... having more females fawning over him was the last thing he wanted or appreciated.

Thank god he hadn't run into Sakura or Ino yet.

Stupid elders, stupid hokage...

Meanwhile, whilst Sasuke had his back to him, a small vindictive smirk slowly grew on Neji's face as he watched women shameless flirt and throw themselves at the Uchiha, who in turn looked extremely unimpressed despite his stoic expression.

Maybe escorting the Uchiha, wasn't going to so bad after all.

Who knew, it could even end up being very entertaining...

* * *

><p>"Who is the father?" Tsunade asked again when Naruto did not answer.<p>

She could tell the boy was agitated as his hands started shaking violently- and to be honest, she was feeling rather unsettled herself.

Maybe she'd gotten it wrong...

...maybe the tiny little thing growing in Naruto's belly was the kyuubi's offspring after all.

And if that was true- all hell would break loose if the council and elders ever found out, let alone the rest of the ninja world – which included Akatsuki.

But she hadn't sensed the kyuubi's chakra in the baby's core, although the kyuubi's chakra had formed a makeshift womb and was constantly supplying life sustaining chakra to the baby, along with Naruto's chakra.

No - the baby's chakra had been pure and innocent- it'd had none of kyuubi's malice or hatred

" Naruto-" she urged as the boy drew into himself ,his arms tightly hugging his shaking frame, eyes glazed and vacant.

"I c-cant" came the shaky reply, barely a whisper

" Is it the kyuubi's- is that why you cant tell me?"

Tsunade held her breath as she waited for the response that would seal both their fates. Naruto turned his glazed eyes to Tsunade and she saw something akin to shame in them which made a her heart sink.

This was not looking good.

"Naruto-" she pushed more urgently , " you have to answer me. Is the baby the kyuubi's or not ?"

Tsunade's question finally seemed to register to the boy and he looked at her in confusion

"Wha- no, the baby ain't the kyuubi's" he answered looking offended at the implication of her question , all shame momentary forgotten, "that's just gross baa- chan"

Tsunade let out a large breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding 'til then .

Although she'd been more than certain that the baby wasn't a demon's spawn , it was very comforting to have solid confirmation.

It would save a whole load of hassle in the nearby future- of which she was very sure

However, the question still remained

"Then who is the baby's father Naruto?"

This time, Naruto's gaze fell and a redness crept up to his face .

'At least he doesn't look afraid any more,' thought Tsunade when she saw his reaction, 'just very embarrassed.'

"Er- d-do I have ta answer?" he stammered pleadingly, looking everywhere but at Tsunade as his fingers fiddled with each other in nervousness.

Although the mood around them was strained, Tsunade had a big enough sense of humour to appreciate that this was the first time she'd ever seen Naruto truly embarrassed and shy.

A small smile played on her lips

"I'm afraid you have to" she answered with a tiny chuckle , which in turn made Naruto turn even redder despite his deep tanned complexion.

If they had been in a different situation, Tsunade would've teased the boy to no end, however they had no time for that.

"As I'm sure you're well aware of, if your current situation ever got out, god forbid, it wouldn't sit well with the council and the rest of the village. We've just got them to accept you, which is mainly due to the whole Pain fiasco, however, good relations between you and the rest of the village is relatively new territory and we don't want to break that delicate trust if we can help it. So I really need to know everything Naruto- if I'm to help you to the best of my abilities as hokage and as your adopted sister- aunt or whatever relationship we have between us" implored Tsunade, all signs of mirth gone

Naruto slowly looked up to see the determination and sincerity in Tsunade's warm golden eyes.

Damn it... he hated it when she was right .

However, inwardly he was deeply touched that the woman considered him family and she would do anything for him.

" Fine" he conceded resignedly, " I'll tell you who it is as long as you promise not tell anyone else... okay?" he added, stressing the last words emphatically- locking his gaze with Tsunade's.

Tsunade blinked... and hesitated.

As hokage, she sometimes had to make decisions that were against the moral norm for the greater good of the village and that included breaking promises. But when she looked into Naruto's determined , naïve blue eyes, she knew that she would not break this one.

Hokage or not... that is , unless it was beneficial to Naruto's cause

"I promise" she answered readily

Naruto searched her eyes for what seemed a long time and then seemingly satisfied by the sincerity he saw there , he instantly bowed his head and returned to twiddling his fingers and playing with his thumbs, once again , blushing furiously.

Tsunade stifled a giggle.

Coy Naruto was just adorable.

"We-ell ?"

For some reason Tsunade was quite exited about finding out the identity of Naruto's baby daddy.

Honestly speaking,she was still surprised that Naruto managed to get himself knocked up in the first place.

Despite his long travels with the most depraved and perviest man known to the ninja, if not the whole world, it'd always seemed to Tsunade, that Naruto had managed to retain his innocence.

She would have even betted on him still being a virgin, since the only girl he'd seemed interested in always shot him down.

But the the fact that he was pregnant seemed to prove otherwise.

That and the fact that she was never really good at placing bets should have forewarned her of how much she'd misread the boy.

" It's ….'ske" Naruto whispered so suddenly and so quietly, his voice barely audible , that Tsunade almost missed the fact he'd spoken at all

"I'm sorry , come again. I didn't quite catch that"

"It's... S-sasuke" a beet-red Naruto whispered again, slightly louder, his face hidden in his hands; the embarrassment and humiliation of his revelation too much for him to handle

Fortunately, unfortunately for him, Tsunade heard him properly this time.

There was a crash, as very precious scrolls once again fell to the floor.

" Oh my..." was all she could manage

She definitely hadn't seen that coming...

Though when she thought about it carefully...

...it all made perfect sense.

* * *

><p>TBC...<p>

I hope you enjoyed this!

Will hopefully be picking up the pace soon. Just a heads up - look out for Team Taka...formerly known as Team Hebi, who will be making their appearance soon. Plus how should we have Sakura react when she finds out. I'm leaning towards initial devastation then gradual acceptance, but I want to hear from you guys and what you want to happen. We haven't had a lot of Sakura, but she is key to the story so you will be seeing more of her and beautiful Sai soon enough. And as you might've already noticed, Neji is going to have a big chunk in this piece too.

Sauke better watch his back, Naruto is a blond in demand.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** same as always I wissh I owned Narruto but I dont so there it is

**Warnings:** same as before and if you aint sure just check the previous chapters

**Note:**Hey y'all. It's been a while... but I hope all of you had a great Christmas and Fab New Year, coz I certainly did. I have to apologise for the late update coz, honestly, I suffered a massive bout of writer's block.

Frankly speaking, I wasn't even sure I was going to update today but I thought what the heck... let's just do it. Am struggling with direction for this fic, so very much appreciate any ideas and or constructive criticisms people might have. Coz I warn you now, it might be a long time til I update yet again. I now know why some of my fave stories have not been completed on fan fic sites. It bloody hard I tell ya! Respect to all them writers that actually manage to finish their work. I bow in acknowledement to you

Anyway I hope you enjoy this next installment

Anyway toodles

PS: I'm not happy with this chapter so if you find it's shite... dont worry , I know .But I aint gonna change it tho, coz I aint going through that hell again. Peace

* * *

><p><strong>A Little Village a Few Miles From Konoha<strong>

_The red-headed bespectacled female had never felt so... nervous... worried...so restless before in her life. _

_It'd been almost four weeks since he'd been gone..._

_Nearly a bleedin' whole month, and they'd still not heard a single peep out of him!_

_She felt like she would soon go mental...crazy...insane_

_And what if- _

_...he forgot about them...her to be precise?_

_**...**made friends again with the Konoha scum that clearly couldn't take a hint when he'd cut ties with them_

_-or fell in love with some scheming, big breasted Konoha kunoichi_

_**THE HELL**!_

_The thought alone was enough to drive her to the edge of reason!_

_No... _

_...never_

…_that could never happen_

_Sasuke would never let something like that happen …_

_Sasuke was hers and no one else's!_

_Hers alone!_

_And anyone, be it the whole of Konoha or Akatsuki, be damned if they tried to come between her and Sasuke._

_If they did, she'd make sure to kill them as slowly and as painfully ( **she'd learnt a few tricks during her stint with Orochimaru**) as was possible, she thought a maniacal grin slowly growing on her face._

_ Soon she was revelling in thoughts of the very many ways she could torture and kill those Konoha brats that dared to try and separate her from Sasuke: absently folding the clothes she'd picked up from the laundry room in the self service inn that they were currently staying in; completely lost to the world._

_Though, normally, she really hated doing laundry_

_"Having pervy thoughts about molesting Sasuke again Karin?" came an annoying and grating voice that was soon followed by the ever present sound of Suigetsu slurping from his sippy cup **( as she liked to call it)**, making her jump in the process._

" _Shut up you disgusting little worm"Karin snarled back venomously , "can you stop sneaking up behind me like the creep that you are" she added as she swivelled round swinging a punch in the general direction from which Suigetsu voice had come from._

_ However before her punch could connect she,being the amazing sensory type kunoichi that she was , sensed a little rise in chakra and murderous intent radiating from a red-headed giant who, at that point, currently sat in a dark corner of their room: and managed to stop her self from pummelling the snot out of the smirking white haired freak. _

_" My my my, aren't we a little bit touchy today?"smirked Suigetsu as he took another long noisy slurp from his water container, completely undaunted by the fury aimed at him from the only female in the room " I don't suppose it could it be that time of the month already? Or is the thought of Sasuke possibly shacking up with a beautiful well endowed Konoha female got you all rattled hmmm?" he added , a wicked shark toothed grin pasted on his pale face._

_ He sat himself down on one of the tatami mats that happened to be directly behind her._

_"Shuddup" she spat back_

_Gah..._

_She was even more peeved that the skinny bastard was right and always seemed to know what she was thinking._

_"I mean, to be frank- from what little I've seen of Konoha kunoichi," Suigetsu continued , pausing to take another long and loud drawl from his cup, " … in terms of charm and body, you, my dear, are trailing behind by a long that you lack...um...abundance in certain departments. " he added evilly, his eyes roving over her chest or lack there of and face, slyly winking at her in the process, "It's really not not surprising you haven''t got Sasuke yet"_

_Suigetsu waited and watched as Karin 's face turn a shade deeper than the colour of her hair, her mouth gaping like a fish, spluttering in an effort to come up with a retort._

_ Soon, he would see the results his little sly remarks intended to induce. _

_And to give her credit, Karin did not disappoint _

_As soon as she noticed where he was looking and what he was implying, she jumped to her feet ,clenched fist in the air , clothes, all but forgotten, tumbling to the floor in a messy pile._

"_Why you little..." she screamed, about to lunge herself at the smug faced youth, who seemed completely unaffected by her out burst_

"_Ah ah ah" he warned in a voice cool and calm, index finger wagging in front of her and stopping her in motion, tipping his head to his left towards back of the room. He did not have to say anything. Karin immediately understood as she sensed an increase in foreign chakra reverberating in her core. Her eyes followed his tip to see Juugo, no longer sitting down , but crouching and watching her intently , like a lion eyeing up his prey;- one of his normally auburn eyes, turned yellow and a sinister smirk appearing on his face. _

_Fortunately, she could see no tattoos...yet._

_Shit..._

_Juugo..._

_Not good..._

_Damn bastard Suigetsu had set her up!_

_Slowly she lowered her raised fist and forced her body to relax, taking in a long deep breath, making sure she didn't break eye contact with the red-headed giant that looked ready to tear her and Suigetsu to shreds._

_She could sense the smug smile on the latter's face and silently promised herself that she would beat him senseless if ever they found themselves alone and Juugo wasn't around._

_Refocusing on the dangerous situation before her, she smiled at Juugo, in what she hoped was a calm and reassuring manner,_

"_You alright there Juugo?" she asked slowly and softly_

_He didn't answer._

"_Juugo, its me Karin" she tried again, pacifically, her hands raised in submission._

_Only to be met with more silence_

_For what seemed like eternity, Juugo continued to stare at her... and as time trickled on, Karin was beginning to feel nervous. _

_A slow bead of sweat dribbled down her back._

_Then suddenly, Juugo shook his head like a dog out of water,_

_...and when his gaze met hers again , his eyes were back to normal._

_Karin let out a sigh of relief. _

_That was close _

"_Did you say something Karin" Juugo asked dazedly , as if he'd just woken up_

"_Nah" she replied, her voice a bit shaky, " Just wanted to know what you wanted to eat for supper later, is all"_

"_I don't mind really" Juugo answered detachedly already sitting himself back into the dark corner, " Get whatever you guys want"_

"_Yeah sure" Karin laughed nervously, but Juugo had already lost interest in her, now playing with a robin that had perched itself on the sill of the open window next to where he sat.._

"_Tsk..You need to watch your temper around Juugo, Karin" chided Suigetsu, mockingly , after watching the tense exchange between the two red-heads, " seriously , someone would think you have a death wish. It's not like we have Sasuke to calm him down you know?"_

_Karin snarled at him, but said nothing _

_She had to acknowledge the fact that ,however much the little shit thoroughly deserved being beaten within an inch of his life, they couldn't afford to let Juugo go into one of his homicidal rampages , especially without the only person in the world who could pull him out of it around_

_Which was another reason why they needed Sasuke back desperately, seeing that she was almost at her limit in the amount of lip and crap she could take from Suigetsu without her trying to kill him; and Juugo killing her and everyone in the process_

_Since Sasuke had left them , Suigetsu had become bolder, if that was even possible , in teasing and basically annoying the shit out of her, knowing full well that she couldn't retaliate in a violent manner- in case that triggered Juugo off._

_Catching Suigetsu's gaze she saw the smug look in the white-haired freak eyes that told her he was thoroughly enjoying her discomfort._

_Smug little prick!_

_Just you wait, she thought at him, glaring daggers at which he mockingly shivered in response._

_Just you wait until Sasuke calls for us then …_

_..._

_It's only a matter of time, she reassured herself as knelt back down to refold the ruined laundry._

_Only matter of time until Sasuke called for them and then everything would turn out fine._

_She kept repeating this thought in her mind, over and over, like a silent mantra, that soon enough, even Suigetsu's jibes no longer fazed her._

_Sasuke would call for them._

_Of this she had the utmost confidence._

* * *

><p><strong>Konoha Hospital<strong>

Hatake Kakashi, with his many faults and inadequacies, was however, well known for being very levelheaded and cool minded in all , if not most situations and very little , if not nothing , could surprise him.

Or so he thought.

So it came as a very **BIG** surprise to learn that his very **male**, and most irresponsible team subordinate was...

... with child …. knocked up!

The news was such , that, for the first time in all his entire twenty nine years of life, he found himself completely and utterly dumbstruck.

Next to him, Iruka had collapsed to the floor in a dead faint ; and as much as he adored the cute and shy teacher, at that very moment Kakashi couldn't have moved even if his hair was on fire .

" Iruka's fainted" he heard himself say, in a detached robotic voice that seemed not to belong to him -though he needn't have said anything cause Shizune had already rushed over to help the younger man

Dazedly he turned to look at the hokage as she tried to explain, further, the mind boggling event that was Naruto's pregnancy, but as far as he was concerned , her lips moved but no sound registered.

It amused him, faintly, that he was currently in so much in shock that he'd lost his sense of hearing

Turning to look at the boy who lay on the hospital bed , even in his stupefied state , Kakashi was impressed to note that despite the fact that the said 'mother to be" had turned a funny shade of red at Tsunade exposing his embarrassing situation to his two former teachers, Naruto still managed to hold the jounin's gaze unflinchingly as if daring him to say anything mocking or untoward, a small cute pout set on his tanned whiskered face.

And that ,surprisingly enough, helped snap Kakashi out of his stupor

Even pitted against the most improbable problem in the world, Naruto remained defiant

And as Naruto's former teacher and team leader , it was only right he led by example.

Therefore in a voice a bit unsteady , but quite close to his usual blasé drawl he managed to speak

" So... a mother heh Naruto?" he started his arms crossing, shakily over his chest. It seemed to him the shock had not yet worn out, "Cant say I saw that coming."

The blonde both snarled and winced at his use of terminology.

Kakashi smirked.

Maybe the situation wasn't as bad as it was seriously warped and twisted, after all

At the very least, he'd have new ammunition to tease his cute blonde underling with.

Oh the endless and glorious possibilities.

On the other hand, it wasn't the most ideal situation for Naruto to be in, even if he had been female, particularly in relation to his already delicate standing within the village.

Kakashi could foresee a whole load of things going wrong

But hey, this was Naruto they were talking about.

With Akatsuki and the whole issue of being the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki,

...what was one little weird pregnancy in comparison?

All that was left to him was to ask the obvious question that he felt needed to be addressed.

" Has anyone told Sasuke the good news about him being a daddy yet? I mean , that is if you're keeping it"

He wasquite bemused and amused to note that this time, it wasn't his jaw dropping to the floor as the two blonds in the room stared at him, dumbstruck.

In addition., he heard dull thud from behind, letting know that the newly conscious Iruka had, yet once again, passed out

* * *

><p><strong>30 Minutes Prior<strong>

Naruto watched nervously as Tsunade digested his revelation.

At first , she had seemed completely shocked and bulldozed when he'd told her about Sasuke being the other father of his unborn child.

Then, as the initial shock wore off, Naruto had braced himself mentally for Tsunade blowing her top off and decapitating him, seeing that not only was Sasuke was a high level criminal and also 'meat on the market'- to put it bluntly; but Sasuke was also a boy...

Therefore he was very much surprised to see that Tsunade was not angry.

In fact she seemed to take the news quite gracefully and her only reaction to what he thought would be explosive if not at least mind boggling news, was actually her staring at him weirdly with her warm golden eyes without a single word leaving her mouth, which in itself served to freak him out,

…just a little bit.

Why wasn't she tearing the room to pieces?

It just didn't make sense.

The silence between them was starting to feel oppressive as the blonde woman continued to stare at him, that he felt the need to say something , anything to rid himself of the awkwardness

"So..." he started, squirming slightly in his bed , hands resuming their twiddling, "...what now?"

Tsunade remained silent, and for a moment, it felt like she'd not heard him.

However, before he could ask her again, she spoke,

" Frankly Naruto...I haven't the slightest clue yet," she replied hesitantly, a small frown deepening on her abnormally smooth forehead as she continued to assess him "... but one thing's for sure... this is a dangerous situation we find our selves in. Just imagine what would happen if the council finds out you're not only pregnant, curtsey of your furry guest, but that your child has a high chance of wielding both the kyuubi's power and Sharingan. It would be disastrous! They already shun you with just the kyuubi's power, never mind adding the Sharingan into the equation. I dread to think what would happen" she added the last bit with a shudder

Naruto's shivered at the thought and then as the sheer enormity of his predicament hit him, his shoulders slumped.

" I know... I know..." he sighed , "...ain't it just typical that somethin' this level of shitty would happen to me" he added solemnly , raising his hand to ruffle his already messy hair , " what the hell m' I gonna do now 'teba?"

Tsunade's mind had been working in overdrive since Naruto's revelation, and for one, had come to the conclusion that despite Naruto's extreme grievances at letting anyone know about his weird predicament- they needed help.

And they needed help fast.

" Well" Tsunade started hesitantly, knowing Naruto was not going to like what she was about to say next, " I know you don't want anyone to know about you preg- I mean delicate situation..."

Naruto's head instantly snapped up at Tsunade's hesitance and what he saw in her eyes made him narrow his .

Tsunade had the grace to look away , which only made Naruto more suspicious. He had an inkling he wasn't going to like what was coming next

"Yeah" he urged her on , his voice laced with apprehension

"... and for the most part I agree" Tsunade continued, waving her hands in a reassuring manner, though it didn't seem,at all, to calm him one bit, " but I think we should let your team know that you're-"

"No!"

"Bu-"

"I said no...never...ain't gonna happen"

Tsunade had anticipated Naruto reacting that way, seeing how he was glaring at her for even suggesting they let people know.

However, Tsunade knew that even if they hid his pregnancy now, very soon Naruto was going to show and they'd be hard pressed trying to explain why the blonde was walking around looking like he'd swallowed an giant inflated beach ball, without making council and elders suspicious-

-and frankly it would be all together good to have the people Naruto trusted implicitly, ready, prepared and having his back if anything went wrong.

So she waited and watched Naruto as he fumed and grumbled to himself whilst glaring daggers at her, at her sheer audacity.

When he seemed to calm down, she tried again, her voice soft and pleading

" Naruto- "

" I said no baa-chan!" he interjected angrily, " and there's nothin' ya can say to me that will make me change m'mind dattebayo!"

"I know" the hokage sighed tiredly, wiping a hand down her face in exasperation then raising her gaze to meet Naruto's furious glare- it was time for another approach . Tsunade raised her hands as if surrendering and then spoke, "I wont force you to tell your team-mates anything Naruto, but can you answer me just a few questions?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes but Tsunade held his gaze steadily.

" Fine …" he conceded hesitantly, " what?"

"How are you going to explain yourself to your team-mates when you start walking around with a big melon belly or when you cant keep up with your team on a mission cause the baby is using up your chakra and you end up making yourself a liability?" she asked steadily, never letting her gaze leave his, " What then... hey Naruto?"

Seeing the mixed emotions play like a silent movie on the blond boy's face, confirmed Tsunade's suspicions that Naruto hadn't really thought through how much his plight was going to affect his life

Or to be precise, already was , if reports she'd received from Sakura , Kakashi and Yamato prior, were anything to go by.

His level of performance during training had been dropping drastically in the past three weeks and Sakura had mentioned him looking a bit under the weather- which was alarming because Naruto was hardly ever sick thanks to the Kyuubi .

That had worried Tsunade leading her to think that something had gone wrong with his seal but she hadn't been able to address it directly because she'd been busy then with preparations for Sasuke's impending trial.

However now that she knew the reason why Naruto had been like that , it hardly did anything to make her feel any better.

In fact it was a worse situation for them to be in for very many reasons she was too scared to delve too deep into.

" W-well..w-we ...um..." Naruto struggled to think, grasping at straws, " ah..." he suddenly bucked up , pointing into the air as an idea hit him, " when I start ...um...uh...ya know...er showin'" he said disgustedly, miming a bump over his belly for emphasis, " we can pretend ya send me on a long term mission an' then I can go under cover , maybe to the Wave Country … probably stay with Tazuna ojissan and Inari and then come back when its all over and there wont be a reason to tell no one" he finished, his signature dazzling grin and a smug look pasted on his innocent,whisker scarred face..

Not bad , Tsunade thought- considering the idea was from Naruto in the first place.

From past experience , Tsunade and most people who knew him had come to expect absurdity and hokum whenever Naruto 'thought' or heaven forbid, came up with an idea.

What was most shocking, though, was that his ideas usually worked for him

"It's not a bad idea but it's not going to work " Tsunade replied.

Naruto was miffed and outraged that Tsunade had panned his idea without consideration

" What do ya mean it ain't gonna work teba?" he huffed , crossly crossing his arms over his chest and setting his mouth in a pout and glaring furiously at Tsunade, " it's perfect!

Tsunade almost laughed at the cute picture Naruto made, making her reminisce back to the first time she met him.

He'd been such a brat back then and fortunately or unfortunately, depending on different individuals, he hadn't changed much.

Naruto saw the tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth,

" Oi...' he shouted, pointing at Tsunade, his face red with outrage and embarrassment, "...why are ya laughin' ya old bag? Ya know it's a good idea but ya just want me to embarrass m'self in front of everyone that's what. Well you can forget that coz I ain't tellin' no one and I ain't gonna let ya. Ya promised me ..remember?" he added accusingly,

" First of all, I'm not laughing at your idea," Tsunade replied in a voice shaky with her weak attempt at controlling the mirth that threatened to overwhelm her , making Naruto narrow his eyes again , " I did say it wasn't a bad idea didn't I ?"

A hmmph, was all she got as Naruto turned his head away in an attempt to ignore her, but she continued anyway, her voice more steady,

" But as I also said earlier , there are a few things that you didn't think of."

Although he didn't turn back to face her, a small head twitch let Tsunade know he was listening.

So she carried on with her explanation

" First of all, I only promised to keep the name of the father a secret . I didn't promise not to let anyone else know about your preg- (a hiss) I mean situation. Even Shizune knows your condition..."

"Shizune doesn't count," Naruto quietly mumbled back.

Tsunade chose to ignore him.

"...and secondly you forget that you're a jinchiruuki and the council would never in a million years let you go on a solo mission..."

" But I've been on lots of solo missions before" he interjected , turning back to face Tsunade , all thoughts of ignoring her gone out of the window

" But not long term ones," Tsunade countered, " If you remember clearly, all the long term missions you've been assigned to , which haven't been many to begin with, have always been with your team, never by yourself"

Naruto knew she was right, but decided to continue anyway

"After Pain's invasion, the village trusts me more so maybe the council ...do ...too...?" he trailed off .

He had to admit , even to his ears his reason sounded pathetic and not as strong as it had done in his head.

Tsunade eyed him pityingly , but decided to be frank and blunt

" You, more than anyone else, knows that there is no chance of that happening any time soon. I know there are some elders and heads on the council like Hiashi, Shikaku and Choza who support you , but many still object to you being a ninja in the first place , let alone you going on a mission... long term that is... Pain or no Pain"

Tsunade watched as Naruto's face fell- her heart twinging at the the pain she saw reflected there.

Naruto had come a long way from the bratty kid no one wanted and despised and had grown into a to village hero Konoha was proud of.

However , they both knew that his life would forever be marred by the single fact that he had the Kyuubi no Yoko sealed within him.

There were still people like Danzou, Koharu and Homura, who would stop at nothing to have Naruto caged for life and used as a weapon against other villages .

All in the name of protecting the village.

Although she wanted to coddle him and smother him with as much love as she could possibly give him, she decided to continue, as it was imperative that Naruto understood what was at stake

"I mean seriously Naruto, do you see Koharu and Homura letting you go?

Naruto shook his head resignedly at the memory of the two council members who'd made his life a living hell.

He shuddered to think of what would have become of him if it wasn't for the third's affection and conviction and Tsunade's love for him and sheer animosity for the pair that been his protection against their hatred of him.

His friend Gaara, came to mind.

And as if to drive her point even further, Tsunade carried on,

"Even if the whole council agreed to let you go on a long term solo mission, you forget that you're not biologically female and we don't even know if you can give birth naturally as of yet..."

Naruto grimaced, at the mention of birth, which served to remind him of the reason they were having this conversation in the first place - the damned unsavoury condition, but Tsunade ignored him; she was now on a roll,

"... and lets say you cant give birth naturally and went into labour , how are you going to get the baby out.?You wouldn't be able to go to a normal hospital because that would alert the medics that your pregnancy is not natural. Plus your biological make-up is significantly different to a female's , even when we take the Kyuubi out of the picture, so we are talking uncharted territory here that will need professional monitoring . I can truly say, as good and as experienced as I am with medicine and healing, your condition would be at the least, very challenging for me , so imagine how much more so for a normal medic?. And that aside, how will you be able to stay with Inari and Tazuna when you're undercover...heh? They wouldn't know who you are unless you break your cover and tell them, which would then lead to you having to tell them the truth anyway. Or they'd soon figure it out themselves when you start to show , which is what you don't want in the first place. And-"

"Okay...okay...I get it!" snapped Naruto, raising his hands in defeat," I get it already , please stop. Ya beginning to sound as bossy and as naggy as Sakura!"

Tsunade smirked smugly.

Victory was hers!

"She is my apprentice after all"

Tsunade was slightly surprised to see Naruto face fall again.

She arched an eyebrow at him, a silent enquiry - which only led to him letting out a sad sigh,

"With me like this, I guess now I'll never get another shot with Sakura-chan" he said, finally , his eyes drifting down to hands that were now nestled between his laps.

At that , Tsunade nearly chocked in astonishment,

"B-but... I thought..." she spluttered as Naruto looked at her, bemused, "... you an-...and S-sasu-...ke... I mean you're pregnant with his baby! Aren't you gay?"

Seeing that his face gone several shades of red a lot during that day, Tsunade was quite amazed to note that Naruto's face managed to achieve yet another level of red she hardly thought possible, at the her question.

And apparently spluttering and stammering was contagious because the Uzumaki boy was now flailing his arms like a startled penguin as he attempted to clear what he thought was Tsunade's gross misunderstanding,

"Wha... I AM NOT GAY!Sa...d-definitely...possessed...n-n-ot...into...m-men... WHAT?" he protested, both shocked and attempting to explain , but somehow, he couldn't get enough air into his lungs to string proper sentences .

As he caught Tsunade's amused and confused gaze, he willed her desperately to understand that he was not that way inclined, and that what happened between him and Sasuke had been a big, huge and absolute mistake.

A fluke that was never...**NEVER.**..going to happen again.

"So let me get this straight...you slept with Sasuke right?"

Naruto winced but nodded in accordance

"And you're pregnant with his baby?"

Another wince and nod.

"But that doesn't mean you're into men and that you're into women?"

"Yeah" Naruto whispered back weakly

"You're not gay?"

"Hell no!"

"Riiiiight" was the only response Tsunade could manage.

In her own opinion, not only was the brat suffering from pregnancy but also a massive case of denial .

However, seeing how Naruto had a lot to deal with in one day, with more to come , she decided to keep her opinions to herself...that is, for the time being.

Unknown to her , someone else had the very same opinion as her and wasn't as hesitant as she was to share it with Naruto, as he was unfortunate to learn.

The Kyuubi had no qualms at all in voicing his thoughts to the agitated teen

Naruto was so busy trying to get the Kyuubi to shut up that he jumped when he heard Tsunade's chair scrap back as the big breasted blonde hokage got up and started for the door.

"Baa-chan , where are ya goin' ?"

"Well...I thought we might as well get started" she answered , turning her head slightly towards him, "..your friends have been waiting for a long time and they must be very worried . Let's not keep them waiting any longer." she added as she reached for the door knob to open it.

"Wait baa-chan!"Naruto cried, hand raised and reaching out as if to stop her

"What is it Naruto?" asked Tsunade irritably, though she dropped her hand from the door and turned to fully face the boy on the bed, " I thought we'd already agreed to let your team-mates know. What's the problem now?

"I know, I know" he replied hastily, " I just thought since I'm ain't showing just yet, can we not tell Sakura and Sai j-"

"Naruto, we agreed..."Tsunade snapped back, her temper slightly rising.

She didn't want to go through explaining things to Naruto again,

"I know...I know...and we'll tell 'em but not right now . I need to prepare" he interjected quickly, noting the hokage's annoyed demeanour, "Baa-chan teba, I've only just found out m'self and m' just tryin' ta make heads an' tell of everthin' . Give me some time" Naruto pleaded desperately

Tsunade frowned

"We can let Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou know" he added as a bargain, whenit looke like Tsunade was beginning to waiver.

Luckily for him, that seemed to tip the scale,

"Fine" Tsunade conceded with a sigh, "But..."

Naruto froze at the sudden steel in the hokage's voice and hardness in her normally warm brown eyes, " ...you tell them soon, you hear gaki"

"Hai"

"Good"

And then she opened the door ,

"NARUTO!"

...to a whirlwind that nearly knocked her over as it blew in and headed straight to Naruto's bedside and threw itself onto an astonished blond youth and started sobbing loudly

"N-naruto...(hic)... I was so worried!" it cried ," are y-you okay?" it asked as it began to touch him everywhere, checking for anything broken and other signs of illnesses Tsunade could only guess at.

Kakashi and Shizune , who was holding Ton-ton in her arms, strolled in at a slower and much calmer pace .

The former's gaze met the hokage's questioning one- but merely shrugged

Both then turned to watch the two on the bed.

"Calm yourself down Iruka" barked Tsunade, though her voice shook from ill concealed laughter as she watch the mother hen that was Umino Iruka fuss over a blushing Naruto, who'd recovered from his surrogate father's dramatic ambush, and was now being subjected to prodding and probing " as you can see the brat is alright"

* * *

><p><strong>Present time (<em>i.e 30min later<em>)**

Kakashi looked at the two blond persons before him in amusement .

They continued to stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

Today was going to be a fun day

"So I'm taking that as a no then? "

**tbc...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** same as always I wissh I owned Narruto but I dont so there it is

**Warnings:** same as before and if you aint sure just check the previous chapters

**Note:** An apology to y'all for the late arriaval of this installment. Have been busy with work and home related stuff so have not had enough time to write. A quick thank you to those who volunteered plot the suggestions and other helpful titbits in their reviews which have been a HUGE help and also to the steadfast support everyone has given this fic- it has helped me focus and more determined to do me best. THANK YOU guys and much love

enjoy...

* * *

><p><strong>Outside Konoha Hospital<strong>

Sasuke Uchiha was having a bad day.

A **VERY** bad day indeed.

Unquestionably , Sasuke was a highly developed and advanced ninja, superior in all areas of intellect, strength and skills when matched against the average, **and...** knocking modesty aside (_trivial concept really_),... the not so average shinobi .

He was what they called... the crème del' a crème.

Genius.

Top seed.

He knew, for a fact, that only a handful of ninjas in Konoha, some, only because he hadn't had the opportunity to test his skills against them, could probably ( _and he really put emphasis on the term 'probably'_), at the most, just about **manage** to stop him, should he suddenly feel the urge to go rampant and kill everyone.

However, for the life of him and his superiority, he couldn't explain or comprehend the scene that lay before him...

,... a scene that left him completely winded ( _a state he was proud to say rarely, if not at all, occurred to him_)

To think, being accosted by a hoard of female staff and patients as he discharged himself , should have been the first huge clue for what lay in store outside the safety of the hospital walls, left his mind reeling.

He never missed clues,

Ever!

Nonetheless, it was to his utter shock and stupefied horror, that, as soon as Sasuke , and his 'guard' Neji, stepped out of the swinging hospital doors he was greeted with a dreadful sight;-

-the entire hospital grounds, as well as all of the streets in front of the hospital, wholly and totally covered with masses of females bodies camping out; laying in wait for him to come out,.

The sheer numbers of them were disturbing.

Most, were laden with placards bearing his name , a lot of them sickeningly decorated with hearts, flowers, love messages and marriage proposals

The shock was instantaneous, leaving him frozen on the spot; though when looked back upon in hind sight , it really shouldn't have had.

His reaction was entirely un-Uchiha-like

Sasuke was very furious with himself.

How the hell could he have overlooked a catastrophe such as this happening.

Especially after the horrendous declaration Tsunade made during his trial , only a few a few hours prior.

He should've seen this coming!

He was meant to be a bloody genius for pete's sake.

Nevertheless, for all his greatness and superiority, he had failed to foresee a horror

so terrifying it could practically frighten the crap out of even the strongest of shinobi warriors.

The horror that was...

… the Uchiha fan girls !

Apparently, his time away from Konoha had, to his great disadvantage, all but succeeded in erasing his memory of the utter viciousness and chilling savagery that embodied Uchiha fan girls/women .

Now his negligence had come back to bite him in his backside.

He could barely stifle a groan, as he unconsciously raised his hand to rub the bridge of his nose, in a motion that almost mirrored Shikamaru, whenever the young shadow nin encountered something troublesome, which , with Shikamaru, was pretty much every time.

Behind him, he sensed Neji amusement.

Dammit, he thought as he quickly restored his stoic visage ,which had momentarily slipped from shock, back into place- once again becoming the hard faced, cold fish that was Uchiha...a being that the girls before him **should've** feared, as everyone else did

Despite doing this, he knew he could not kid himself.

Of all things under the sun, Uchiha fan-girls were the most die hard of all fanatics- strong, determined and resolute in their desire for their Uchiha . Even the threat of a painful and slow death- when some got too close for comfort-which he had tried to convey many times before in the past, did not thing to deter them. In fact, he found out to his great dismay, it seemed to have totally opposite effect to the one he desired. They found him more thrilling, the more foreboding he became.

However, what currently distressed him more than the mass of bloodthirsty fan-girls was the knowledge that the Hyuuga had seen his discomfort- the momentary lapse, in which Sasuke forgot himself and showed weakness

That could not be tolerated, he berated himself inwardly.

Yet,it was not the time to think about putting Neji in his place -though he was aimed to make it a priority-

-for now, all he really needed was to get away from the crazy women surrounding them. They were entirely another level of dangerous he really didn't want to deal with at the moment. His mind was still foggy from the binding and he really needed to clear his mind in peace.

Which was now turning out to be highly unlikely since effin' Tsunade and the bloody council had basically given the witches free license to hound him, all in an effort to win the highly esteemed and sought after position of bearing his heir/s and reviving the great Uchiha clan. He wasn't at all surprised that the banshees had managed to find his current location, even though his being hospitalised was supposed to be highly secretive and confidential.

The thought made his stomach churn.

Tsunade and her minions had truly fucked him over.

Brilliant!

Just bloody marvellous.

"Seems that you're very popular Sasuke-sama" he heard Neji's deep jeering voice shake with ill concealed mirth, as the long haired boy assessed the scene before them.

Fortunately for him, the crowd had yet to notice them standing there, "...aren't you going to greet your fans or are you planning on keeping them waiting?

The older boy was mocking him, and it really, really was starting to piss him off** BIG TIME**-

... he could feel his control slipping again.

Though it was beneath him and undeniably childish- especially for him though the freak-eyed Hyuuga started it-, Sasuke responded by throwing the older boy his coldest, most terrifying Uchiha glare and scowl.

But before he could follow up with something scathing to the infuriating Hyuuga who seemed unperturbed by the murderous intent Sasuke was aiming at him, one nondescript female, a brunette from what he could tell, happened to look up and , unfortunately, noticed them standing by the hospital doors.

Sasuke winced inwardly, when the inevitable happened- as everyone jumped at her teeth-grating screech

"Hey everyone look!" she cried, "...it's Sasuke-sama!"

What happened next was a blood bath... as the crowd surged towards him all at once, like a gigantic tidal wave; clamouring all over each other, pulling , tugging , biting - all of them fighting-, all of them desperate to get to him.

The screams were deafening.

"Sasuke-kun will you go out with me..."

"Sasuke-sama, I want to have your babies ….let me have your babies..."

"Sasuke-kun I love you..."

"Marry me Sasuke..."

Oh how he wished he could obliterate them all with an Amaterasu, and for a second, he actually did try to summon his Sharingan for sorely that purpose.

However, the most blinding pain tore through his brain, as if someone had taken a sledge hammer to his brain and had started pounding on it repeatedly. The pain was so intense against the noise and mayhem around him , that he almost passed out.

A pair of strong hands steadied him and even through the fuzziness of his pain addled mind , Sasuke knew it was Neji

"It's the seal" was what he caught , as Neji groaned out at the sudden weight of Sasuke's body collapsing on him.

Fuck

He'd forgotten all about the bleeding stupid seal.

He'd forgotten that, for a while, he was powerless, even against the weakest of the girls, who now were closing in around him, all wearing the determined and deranged look of a starved carnivore that has just spotted it's prey.

It was almost funny that he'd survived battles against formidable opponents such as the blonde Akatsuki whose name he couldn't be arsed to remember, Orochimaru and Itachi, only to be done in by a group _(albeit a rather large one)_ of insane, love sick, crazy, obsessed females, whose vast majority weren't even shinobi.

Oh the irony of it all.

As the pain began to recede, and his vision started to clear, he noticed that several Anbu had encircled him , and were just about managing to keep the fans at bay.

He also noticed, to his chagrin, that he was still leaning into Neji for support.

That definitely would not do.

He drew himself up , channelling up all his Uchiha dignity, pride and strength- then roughly shoved the Hyuuga's hands off him as if the latter's mere touch repulsed him-

-of which it did.

As was his manner, Neji , did not at all seem concerned at Sasuke's ungrateful response and merely set about straightening wrinkles out of his clothes.

Sasuke sharp perception, did not, however, miss the slight clenching of the Hyuuga 's jaw and a hardening of his creepy white eyes.

It seemed his resentful feelings towards the Hyuuga were reciprocated, and though he could not remember a time in which he had fallen out with Neji to warrant his resentment,he was traitor after all.

And the situation suited him perfectly.

He wasn't back to be liked or to make friends.

And Neji's resentment helped remind him of that.

"Sasuke-sama" spoke one of the Anbu- who he immediately recognised to be the female ANBU who had been in the team that had escorted him back to Konoha- breathlessly, " ...you need to get going. I don't think we can hold them off for much longer"

Sasuke didn't need telling twice, as one girl in particular, managed to break through the ANBU defence , hurling herself at him, screaming words of adoration and undying love.

Lucky for him, although he couldn't mould chakra and perform ninjustu without bursting his brain , he still had his highly developed reflexes and his taijustu, and was therefore, able to agilely dodge the crazed female with ease, not even breaking a sweat; leaving the pathetic girl to crash painfully into the doors behind where he had been standing .

Serves the bitch right , he thought with a cruel smirk.

And with that, not caring whether Neji was following him or not (_which he was, as well as another Anbu_) , he jumped, headed for the roof tops.

His destination-...

The only place he could go.

The Uchiha Compound.

Great.

Just fucking great.

Could his day get any worse?

* * *

><p><strong>Inside Konoha Hospital<strong>

_" Has anyone told Sasuke the good news about him being a daddy yet? I mean , that is if you're keeping it" _

_They continued to stare at him as if he'd grown a second head._

_Today, thought Kakashi, was going to be a fun day._

_"So I'm taking that as a no then? _

Tsunade was the first to recover...er somewhat.

"Kakashi... how?" she asked, lost for words.

Though she'd always known Kakashi to be a genius , she never would have pegged him down as a mind reader.

It was creepy how his intuition seemed to be spot on , every single time

" Baa-chan you told him" cried Naruto accusingly, looking at her with an outraged and betrayed expression, , "... an' you promised you wouldn't tell anyone 'bout Sasuke being...you know..."

Tsunade stood up from her seat, leaned forward and whacked the blond teen up the back of his head

"Ow, whatchu do that for ya old hag?" cried Naruto, as he rubbed the sore spot on his head, "first ya betray me, then ya abuse me...?"

"When did I get the time you idiot!" Tsunade shouted down at him, hands on hips and bosom heaving, No one seemed to notice the slowly stirring Iruka, whose head was cradled in Shizune's lap, the latter along with her swine companion deeply stunned by the exciting revelation

"I've been with you the whole time and I haven't even left the room. When would I've had the time to tell Kakashi,huh?" the hokage reasoned, evidently exasperated by the blond boy

"It's true, she didn't tell me anything," Kakashi interjected when it seemed Naruto was set on arguing more.

He wasn't prepared to lose his subordinate all because of the said subordinate's stupidity, seeing how the hokage was quickly loosing her temper," I just guessed"

"You guessed?" both blonds asked in unison and disbelief- one, more so than the other.

As Tsunade had come to learn in her relatively short stint as hokage... with the copy ninja, nothing was EVER straightforward.

Naruto, however, had no such insight and merely scoffed at his former jounin teacher,

"How could ya have possibly guessed that Sasuke is...is..." Naruto waved his hands about, clearly uncomfortable with talking about Sasuke's involvement in his predicament, "...ya know"

"The father of you baby?" Kakashi offered helpfully, not at all bothered by his former student's indignant frown at his 'helpfulness'.

It was, after all, for moments such as these, that he truly lived for,

"Yeah.. that" Naruto answered back grudgingly and uncomfortably, unwilling to meet Kakashi's glinting gaze from his one uncovered eye- an obvious attempt at self preservation. Despite his unassuming personality, Kakashi was somewhat of a sadist and though Naruto was usually oblivious and clueless, this particular trait of Kakashi, even **he,** had been quick to pick up on, " baa-chan didn't even know and I told no one. There's no way you could've known unless..." he gasped, his face draining in colour, "...Sasuke...told... you" the last three words, almost whispered.

Naruto's looked up, his gaze locking with the silver haired jounin , blue eyes trepidatious.

Kakashi raised an sceptical brow at Naruto, who immediately looked away from the silver haired jounin's gaze, a faint flush tinting his cheeks, clearly aware how stupid he was being (_well, more stupid than usual_).

Especially, when both he and Kakashi knew that Sasuke was by far one of the most secretive, tight lipped people on the planet and would've definitely never have divulged any details of his private life.

Ever!

All eyes turned to Kakashi, even Iruka, who'd just become lucid and had lifted himself off Shizune;-

- everyone keen to know just how the copy ninja had guessed Sasuke's part in the impregnation of Uzumaki Naruto.

Kakashi looked at the two blond persons before him in amusement .

"It was a matter of deduction really"

"Deduction?" Tsunade asked , her interest piqued, as were the others, except for one, who face looked from Kakashi, to Tsunade and back to Kakashi again in confusion

"What do you mean by that?" asked a puzzled Naruto

"It's like coming up with an answer, by reasoning, taking away various options until you're only left with the most plausible one" explained Iruka weakly, unable to stop the teacher in him from interrupting

"Ah my dear Iruka-sensei, it nice to see that your sweet self is back in the land of the living," said Kakashi, a seductive lilt to his voice, turning slightly to wink at the younger man, who had weakly managed to place himself against the wall near the entrance door, " I never knew you were so delicate, fainting like that"

Iruka blushed in shame , and turned his face away,muttering, …' I didn't faint' ...under his breath, leaving the silver haired jounin to chuckle

"Kakashi, stop flirting with Iruka and continue explaining" interrupted Tsunade impatiently, seeing how the jounin was getting distracted, though not viciously

She did, after all, enjoy watching Kakashi torment the sweet Iruka.

Nevertheless,all that would just have to wait, as she wanted to hear Kakashi explanation.

It was possible _(though unlikely) _thatshe could learn more about Naruto's condition and glean some more, if any, info on Sasuke (_the boy was too much of an enigma- he unnerved her_)- if the copy nin shared his deductions

"I beg your pardon" apologised Kakashi, however insincerely, "I got pleasantly distracted" he added , stressing the last two words and tipping him head to Iruka suggestively

Iruka's was now beet red and both Tsunade and Shizune both giggled; but Naruto scowled, his face scrunched up, eyes slit-like-

...all in an effort to make heads and tails of everything

"I still don't get it"

"Don't worry"Kakashi replied patiently, evidently used to Naruto's continuous state of incomprehension., " you'll get it once I start explaining"

'You better" pouted Naruto, huffing his chest and crossing his arms over it,in indignance- eyeing his former tutor crabbily. He hated being the only one confused about things.

Ignoring Naruto childish pouting, Kakashi started to explain how, when he had escorted Sasuke the night the Uchiha had suddenly left Naruto's apartment, he had noted Sasuke's state of undress and disarray which he had, at that time, suspected, but had just now confirmed -given Naruto's current predicament- to have been acquired during an intimate tryst with the blond, seeing that in addition to his unusual disheveled appearance, the Uchiha had also spotted bruises on his neck that suspiciously resembled love bites.

This had Naruto blushing furiously, indignant pouting instantly replaced with embarrassment.

He also explained how he noted Naruto conveniently getting pregnant **only** after Sasuke had come back to Konoha and therefore deduced that if Naruto already possessed the predisposition to getting pregnant and had had a lover from the village that was not Sasuke, the blond would've probably gotten pregnant much sooner as he would've had plenty of opportunity to do so.

The red-faced Naruto noisily let out an insulted huff in protest to that deduction, claiming that Kakashi was making him sound like a wanton slut, much to the amusement of Tsunade and Shizune , who tried to hide chuckling snorts behind their hands- whilst Iruka looked scandalised.

It was clear to everyone in the room, the mere fact that Naruto was and had been sexually active was already a trying notion to the academy teacher.

Unperturbed, as usual, Kakashi took both Iruka's state of ne'er hysteria and Naruto's complaint within his stride, brushing both aside and continued to explain how he came to his conclusion. The jounin claimed that he found the timing of Naruto's pregnancy and Sasuke's arrival in the village, coincided too closely to ignore- especially given Naruto's obsession with Sasuke- and therefore had come to the opinion that Sasuke was the most probable and likely candidate when it came to the question of who fathered Naruto's baby.

"As you can see, it was pretty easy to figure out really when one thought about it carefully,If I'm not incorrect, given when Sasuke arrived, Naruto should be about three weeks pregnant, right?".

The room fell silent as everyone in the room, except for one, stared at Kakashi in awe.

Wonder and amazement were written all over their faces.

Naruto , however, was stiff and trembling with barely contained embarrassment , angry wounded ego and most prominently ...shame... especially when he realised how transparent, easy to read and obvious he had been made to sound

The hell...

"I ain't obsessed with bastard Sasuke!" he shouted furiously in objection to his team leader's less than flattering interpretation of his desire to have Sasuke back home.

It was not an obsession!

Sasuke was his best friend and of course he had and would've done everything in his power to chase after him and bring him back home where he belonged- and here Kakashi was making him out to be like one of Sasuke's crazy fan-girls.

It wasn't right!

He never thought of Sasuke that was and never would.

What had happened was an accident...

He should never have spiked Sasuke's drink cause now everyone was thinking he was gay for the teme!

He felt like ripping his hair out in frustration

The jounin, sensing Naruto's agitation at his poor choice of words- however accurate seeing as the blond had been dead miserable the past few weeks gone- set to try and rectify his error.

"Ma... sorry Naruto. Did I say obsessed? I meant concerned" he said placatingly, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, " just got caught up in my own words is all" he added , shamefacedly. For all the fun he got from teasing the blond, he really didn't want Naruto's BP hitting the roof, given his delicate constitution

"If you meant concerned you should have said so ," Naruto shouted back, refusing to be placated, " Just what exactly... Kakashi sensei ...were ya tryin' to suggest?"

"That's enough Naruto!" Tsunade interjected, placing a restraining hand on Naruto' shoulder as the boy got all tense, ready to rise of the bed and physical confront Kakashi , " Kakashi's apologised and we don't have time to go over silly things . What's done is done and we now need to try and figure out what to do next. Is that understood?" she asked eyeing the teen seriously and with an authority she rarely used over him, given she was the Hokage.

Naruto eased to Tsunade's pressure and backed down, though reluctantly, seeing the logic behind her words. However, Naruto being Naruto, though chastised, resolved to act maturely by sticking his tongue out at Kakashi, as usual, needing a way to express his disgruntlement.

"Ah indeed Tsunade-sama is right" blurted Shizune, who was speaking for the first time since the revelation, "we really need to consider the options we have and come up with a plan as soon as possible. The more we delay , the higher chance the wrong people find out" she expressed further, meanwhile bending over to pick Ton-ton from the floor and then cradling the pig to her bosom.

Her eyes were pinned to the hokage's intently as she said this.

" And what options would those be" Tsunade asked, perceiving her assistant change of expression from amused to suddenly serious, recognising that the younger woman had more to say on the matter than she currently was, as did the other three occupants of the room, as they shifted their focus onto the dark haired female.

Detecting the pique in their interest, Shizune squirmed nervously, her gaze refusing to meet anyone else's except the hokage's who nodded encouragingly.

She knew what she was about to say was not going to be pleasant and was most certainly not going to be received well, however, she had been mulling it over in her head over and over, since she found out about Naruto's predicament and was utterly convinced, given the severity of the problem, it was the safest choice available to them .

Besides , Kakashi had already touched upon it earlier when they'd arrived in Naruto's room , but no one at that time , apart from her, had really taken much notice.

" Seeing how Naruto being pregnant is not going to affect just us , but the ninja world in its entirety... in a manner in which I'm not sure is going to positive, " she started her voice soft but strong and clear- her eyes locked in on Tsunade's and no one else's, "- after much consideration over the problem, I think our best option would be to… um..." here, she paused, her voice suddenly breaking- hesitating for a moment and hazarding a quick glance at Naruto who was now sitting up attentively, naïve curiosity and innocence etched on his warm face; eager to learn of her plan that would help him get out of the mess he currently found himself in- trust, clearly evident, in whatever she was going to say.

Her heart ached.

She didn't want that trust...

...cause she knew , she was going to break his heart!

She gulped.

" Go on Shizune" pushed Tsunade when it seemed her assistant was choking on her words, the older woman's brow frowning.

Apart from when dealing with debt collectors, Tsunade knew her assistant was hardly ever the nervous type. She could sense tension rolling off the younger woman, who clutched Ton- ton tightly to her bosom as if gathering strength from the pig; who for once did not squirm at being nearly suffocated, as she too could sense Shizune's apprehension.

Somehow , it made Tsunade uneasy

"...we could... consider...um...ter..." Shizune stuttered, forcing herself to speak, her gaze avoiding a bemused Naruto " I mean... er...termination!" she said finally , with pained force, expelling the last word so quickly as if it was virulent to her tongue, her eyes refusing to look at the boy on the bed as she squeezed her eyes shut, burying and hiding her face in Ton-ton's abdomen, feeling like the very devil himself.

One could have heard a pin drop, in the silence that followed.

Naruto 's face had frozen , his eyes dazed with disbelief- as if unsure of what Shizune had just said.

There was a break as everyone in the room apart from Shizune, turned to watch Naruto apprehensively, unsure of how the blond would react.

Tsunade, Kakashi and Iruka , watched tensely as the implication of Shizune's words finally registered in the the blond's mind; his eyes suddenly growing wide with alarm and his visage turning pallid and bloodless despite his ever present tan .

After what seemed eternity ,of thick tension and bated breaths...in a voice weak, broken and lost Naruto finally spoke

" No" his voice barely a whisper, but the word clear for everyone to hear

As if a dam had burst, that little word set Iruka off.

With a wail and swift like the wind, the chūnin crossed the room to Naruto's side almost knocking a stunned Tsunade out of the way. Plopping down to sit on the bed by Naruto, the academy teacher gathered the devastated boy, whose body had gone limp, into his arms and started to rock him back and forth soothingly, as the boy repeated the word over and over again like a mantra , his voice so broken hearted it nearly brought tears to Tsunade's eyes and forced broken sobs from Shizune who still remained buried in Ton-ton,refusing to look up

" You have to admit, it is the best option" Kakashi spoke with a sad sigh,resigning himself to play the bad guy, seeing how he agreed with Shizune's suggestion, " it seems cruel now but we cant be hundred percent sure what Naruto is carrying is not a demon. By getting rid..."

" NO!" a muffled, anguish ridden scream came from the face hidden in Iruka's chest, interrupting Kakashi- and before the silver haired jounin could proceed; regardless of the disruption, a hard, angry and cold glare from the usually amiable Iruka stopped him from continuing

"It's not an option" finally spoke the hokage, looking down tenderly at Naruto, who was now sobbing uncontrollably in Iruka's embrace, " Naruto checked earlier and confirmed the child is not the kyuubi's nor is it a demon. It is a human child. I **WILL** not condone taking an innocent life" a steel glint in her gaze when she looked up and a hardness to her voice at the last sentence.

A clear warning for Kakashi to tread carefully.

However, as much as he respected his hokage, Kakashi felt he had to continue on, heedlessly. The situation was too dangerous to be timid, even when he knew he was coming across as a hard cold bastard.

" Irrespective of whether or not Naruto's assessment is true"said Kakashi carried on,,altogether avoiding looking at Iruka and Naruto, and continuing to address Tsunade "... you of all people should know Godaime, that it is almost impossible for the council to stand aside and let this continue once they find out. They will not believe Naruto's child is human, blinded by their hatred and prejudice against the Kyuubi. You know how Naruto has suffered under them when they couldn't differentiate him from the bijuu sealed within him. What more , t a child conceived due to it's influence? It's fate cruel to foist on it"

Kakashi paused to let his words sink in, watching how Tsunade's eyes perceived the truth and logic in his argument. Even Iruka's glare, when the jounin was brave enough to chance a quick glance at him, lost a little of it's venom when he caught it- but only a little seeing as the chūnin still clutched the blonde to him nose up turned defiantly at Kakashi .

The silver-haired ninja sighed.

Iruka's anger did not surprise him in the least. The chūnin was incredibly protective of Naruto- more so than anyone he knew- and would defend him and side with any of the young blond's choices, even when he was convinced otherwise.

For a slight moment, Kakashi bemoaned his matter of fact, calm demeanour and sensible way of thinking - that allowed him to see that going through with Shizune's suggestion, though cruel, would save Naruto and maintain the peace of the Ninja World in the long run- as it could very well have cost him having a shot with Iruka.

However peace to the world and Naruto came first, so he ignored Iruka's anger and Naruto's pain- and carried on;

"One would think it better to eliminate the problem and hurt now when it's small, rather than wait until the problem gets bigger and the decision gets taken out of our hands. The hurt will be all the much bigger and harder to overcome then" he finished, his voice noticeably softer and gentler, compassion and concern evident in his eyes.

" You're not killing my baby!" Naruto shouted suddenly and angrily, as he forcefully extricated himself from Iruka's hold, looking up to glare furiously at Kakashi, his eyes conveying the depth of betrayal he felt from one of his most trusted people.

" You are not taking away the only family I have" he added , his voice changing into an inhuman growl.

Iruka backed away from Naruto with a startled gasp as Naruto's body began to heat up and the jinchuuriki's face started to turn feral...his canines elongating , turning his usual soft mouth into a menacing snarl, eyes slitting dangerously. A red pulsating chakra enveloped him as he slowly rose to a crouch on the bed , eyeing Kakashi warily like a cornered beast, his cerulean blue eyes, turning red.

" You will not kill my child!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>3 Days Later...<strong>_

"So what is this proposition then?" asks the dark eyed boy, eyes narrowed suspiciously at the blond haired woman sat before him, behind a messy desk, both her elbows placed on the hard wooden surface , beautiful ageless chin resting atop of her long elegant intertwined fingers;- golden eyes watching him with equal wariness and distrust.

" I expect you were not at all pleased by the announcement I made three days ago?" she replies with a question, her gaze locked on him intently.

He snorts back in derision and does not bother to answer back, arching a mocking brow at her.

For it is a stupid question whose answer was obvious to both of them and he sees no reason to waste his breath.

He wishes she could just hurry up so he could go.

She ignores his blatant show of impudence, despite his stony countenance and lack of respect- and she has to fight desperately against the fury building within her- reminding herself she needs him for their plan to work

A broken bone or two wont go amiss, she thinks to herself, when she meets the boy's cold and mocking glare, but then decides against, seeing as it would rather be childish on her part.

Damn being a grown-up!

She is going to get absolutely shit-faced drunk after this bleedin' meeting, she promises herself, and the world brightens up a bit for her.

"I'll take your rather Neanderthal response as an assent" she carries on when the insolent whelp says nothing, "and as I said earlier, I believe I have a proposition that will benefit both of us and stop you from having to fulfil part of your 'obligations'" she says smoothly, a voice controlled _(which she is dead proud of, given the tension that is in the room, despite it being just the two of them)_

Although his visage and posture betrays nothing, a spark in his onyx eyes tells the blonde the boy is intrigued.

**Hook**

"And that would be...?" the boy speaks finally, in a dead icy voice that sends eerie shivers down the woman's spine, after a long awkward pause until he realises the woman is not going to say anything else until encouraged to do so.

He hates it when people play fucking mind games and waste his time.

The blonde smirks at the annoyed expression that crosses, momentarily, on his usually stoic visage. The brat definitely has a thing or two to learn if he is going to mess with her. She thinks to drag it on a bit longer, but knowing him, the brat would probably walk out the moment he loses his patience, which not far off, so she decides to get down to it.

" I have a female relative who has found themselves in a rather 'delicate' situation' out of wedlock... "

She pauses, watching for his reaction and is rather disappointed when she gets none. Nevertheless she carries on;

"...and I want you to marry her and claim her child as yours" she declares, her gaze never leaving his, "...meaning that, you fulfil both your obligation to marry and produce an Uchiha heir, albeit a fake one, within the time allocated and without much effort on your part and she is saved from shame and ridicule as well as providing her little one with legitimacy."

**Line and sinker!**

This time Tsunade is not disappointed as she watches Sasuke's well kept and ne'er impregnable stony visage crumble before her very eyes- various unrestrained emotions playing on his face, clear as as the sun on a cloudless day.

Shock , does strange things to even the strongest of people and evidently- Sasuke is no exception.

She lets out a sigh relief.

For the very first time, the Uchiha brat , looks like the person and child he truly is- not the soulless avenging angel he works so hard to be.

And somehow, that lightens the hokage's heart

TBC...

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><p>Hope you enjoyed the installment and please review you opinions ...<p>

Til' next time


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** same as always I wissh I owned Narruto but I dont so there it is

**Warnings:** same as before and if you aint sure just check the previous chapters

**Note: **Its been a while people. Here is the new update. Hope you enjoy. The script might have a few edits in the next couple of days or so as I tweak and retweak (sucks not having a beta) so those of you who are first to read this, I do apologise for typos and misspells. Love y'all xooxoxo

peace

ps: shout outs and notes at end x

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><p><strong>The Following Day:<strong>_**Early Eve; Umino's Apartment**_

" No way"

"But Naru..."

"I said NO!" the blond insisted as he paced the length of the room in agitation, clearly miffed that Tsunade, Yamato-taichou and Iruka , of all people, were trying to convince him to do something that stupid- regardless of the fact that he did it most of the time with Konohamaru.

But that was different!

He would have to maintain if for a long time … and worst of all, meet bastard Sasuke in that form. It was degrading!

" There is no way in hell I'm doing something that embarrassing!"

" As much as I hate the idea, I think Tsunade-sama is right. This is, by far ,the safest choice for you at the moment" voiced Iruka, who was still very uncomfortable with the idea , from the first time Yamato had suggested it.

To say the ANBU had been shocked, when he learnt of Naruto's weird pregnancy, would have been a gross understatement .

However, Yamato had recovered quickly- only because the situation had asked for it, seeing how the exact moment he had arrived in the hospital room , Naruto had been loosing control of the kyuubi's chakra and looked set to attack Kakashi.

Fortunately for all concerned at that time , Naruto had only managed to achieve the kyuubi's shroud and therefore, with great difficulty- seeing how Naruto was much stronger as a result of his training on Mt Myōboku as well as the devastating fact the the First Hokage's necklace, which had helped him contain the the Kyuubi, had been destroyed during the fight with Pain- Yamato just about managed to subdue the boy from going berserk through sheer determination alone- whilst Tsunade worked hard to contain the feral chakra within the room, least it raised suspicions.

If Naruto had managed to achieve, at least one tail, all would have been lost.

When the boy had been finally subdued and lost consciousness, Tsunade had asked the rest of the occupants in the room to join her in her office, so they could come up with a plan to help Naruto.

It was then , after being briefed about the situation, that Yamato, after a long pause in which he to time to both recover from shock and mull over the situation, he had come up with the idea.

Which in turn, led them to the current scenario, in which Iruka, after a group vote had invited Naruto over to his house as soon as he had been discharged, with Tsunade present of course, to present the idea to him.

Unsurprisingly, seeing the boy's reaction, Naruto- as he's predicted – did not seem to take it too well.

"Well, how is that different from me going away for a while?" Naruto argued, "In that case , why cant I just leave a clone here and go to toad mountain instead of pretending to be a girl and marrying stupid Sasuke ? I don't wanna to do it !"

Both Tsunade and Iruka sighed in exasperation.

When it came to Naruto, things were never easy. Yamato, however, did not seem too bothered by the blonde's mini rant- having been used to dealing with similar incidences involving the volatile blond on a regular basis. It was he who tried, again, to explain the plan to Naruto as calm and diplomatic as he possibly could. That was the only way anything got through to the boy

"As we explained before, Tsunade needs to keep you close so she can monitor you on a regular basis, so you cant go to mountain."

"But why cant she..."

"No I cant " interrupted Tsunade , when she saw that Naruto was about to argue back, "I cant visit the mountain, because it is forbidden since I do not have a contract with the toads. And even if I was allowed , it would raise too many suspicions if I keep disappearing to the mountain regularly to check up on you and we don't want that. Plus I'm a very busy woman as you know. I am the Hokage after all. I cant be disappearing here and there at my leisure if any complication, god forbid should arise when you're on the mountain... "she reasoned,

"...and remember Naruto- this pregnancy of yours is not normal in the least. In fact, it shouldn't even exist in the first place but it does and we don't have the slightest clue what's happening and what to expect . So if you want this to work out well, you will need careful monitoring and for that I need you near me at all times. Do you understand?"

Pissed off because he knew when he was defeated , Naruto suddenly and without ceremony , threw himself on Iruka's settee and let a out long sigh of aggravation.

He slumped forward , elbows on knees , face buried in his upturned hands,

"So what you're suggesting that I make a kage bunshin that runs around pretending to be me , whilst I henge myself into one of Tsunade baba's cousin or somethin' and pretend to marry Sasuke teme?" he asked tiredly, his dejected voice muffled by his hands.

"Yes" came Tsunade's immediate response

At Naruto's crestfallen face, Iruka got up from his seat,with the intention of making them all some tea, seeing that Naruto looked like he needed on .

Lord knows he did

"Why don't I make us all a nice brew, whilst you think things over, eh Naruto?" he offered kindly, placing a gentle hand on Naruto's slumped shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. .

Naruto looked up and offered him a small smile that didn't seem to quite reach his unusually dull eyes,

"Sure, why not Iruka sensei" he answered, " though I could really murder some ramen right about now"

"Iruka smiled at Naruto's rather pitiful attempt at normal banter and felt his heart clench for the boy,

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I don't have any ramen , but maybe next time" and with a pat on the back for Naruto , Iruka headed toward the kitchen leaving him alone with Tsunade and Yamato.

"So are you okay with this plan then Naruto" asked Tsunade , when she was certain she had the blond boy's attention.

"Do I have a choice?" he answered back resignedly

"You always have a choice Naruto, you know that"

"Yeah right" came the uncharacteristic sardonic reply and both Tsunade and Yamato sighed sadly. Since Sasuke's trial, Naruto's whole world had turned upside down and both adults hated not being able to make it better for him.

Although for all intents and purpose, Naruto was an adult;

- that is, from the moment he became a genin, taking into consideration the low life expectancy of ninja's in general

- and one with the potential to rival and surpass many of the legendary ninjas both present and gone by.

However, it was his naivety, innocence and childlike personality that reflected a certain form of endearing vulnerability, that made them want to protect him from everything bad in the world. knows , he had suffered enough, already in his short young life.

And here they were, apparently, making his life worse

There was a long uncomfortable pause , in which Naruto sat contemplating – presumably trying to find a way not to give assent and go through with the plan, whilst Tsunade and Yamato watched on patiently.

In that time Iruka had returned with four cups of tea on a tray, which he set on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"Here's your tea Naruto" he said holding out a cup of green tea, which Naruto reached for absently with a small nod of thanks.

The brunet offered the other two occupants in the room tea, which both took appreciatively, murmuring words of thanks.

He finally took the last cup of tea on the tray and sat himself down next to Naruto

"So what did I miss?" he asked, after taking a sip from his cup, scanning the faces in the room questioningly, " Have we come to a verdict?"

"Naruto is still thinking about it" replied Yamato, who also took an appreciative sip from his cup

" Is that so" was all Iruka said , before he joined the others in silent expectancy, quietly drinking his tea, quite happy to wait for Naruto to speak when he was ready to.

After what felt like a rather long time, of the blonde boy brooding over his predicament , in which Naruto only managed to just warm his hands with his tea cup, he finally spoke

"I can understand why I have to stay in the village after the reasons you just gave... really I do," his agitated gaze alternating between Tsunade and Yamato, "But why do I have to marry Sasuke? I mean , I'm supposed to lie low anyway and not draw attention to myself- but doesn't marrying Sasuke do the exact opposite. Every girl in the village wants a piece of him and wont me 'hooking ' up with him put me in the limelight? Cant I just be a single knocked up woman living in disgrace?"

Tsunade and Iruka chuckled at that last retort, whilst Yamato shook his head in amusement. Trust Naruto to prefer playing the unconventional role of a scarlet woman.

"I understand what you are saying Naruto and I can assure you that we have considered all your reservations, however , if I'm to be honest with you, I do not completely trust Sasuke and this is the only way I know how to keep tabs on him without being too obvious. You , Sakura and Kakashi are the only people who truly know Sasuke more than anyone else in the world My placing you in this position is not just for you , but a mission to keep Konoha safe . Besides, it's only fair Sasuke helps you out. It's his baby too" replied Tsunade, adding the last part as a way to break the tension that has built up from her minor confession of mistrust- a meek attempt at some humour.

As predicted , it failed to make Naruto smile.

In fact he scowled as he looked at Tsunade in disbelief.

He hadn't liked it when Tsunade said she didn't trust Sasuke. It felt as if she'd stabbed him in the chest, right though the heart with a blunt kunai and twisted it ...and for the life of him he couldn't understand why.

"So let me get this straight..." he started slowly as if struggling to comprehend exactly what Tsunade had just said, " you want me to pretend to be a girl who is going to pretend to marry Sasuke just cause you want me to SPY on him?"

"Something like that" replied Tsunade unapologetically

Naruto looked at her in stunned silence for a beat and then shook his head.

"I ain't doin' it!"

"Why not" Tsunade replied calmly as if she'd expected this response, whilst Iruka and Yamato merely looked on in fascination at the two blond's battle of wills- both sipping their teas quietly happy to not be involved .

In fact , Iruka was of the mind to put more water to boil for another round of tea.

He was sure he had some leftover crumpets in the freezer, to toast.

Meanwhile, Naruto looked at Tsunade as if she's just grown a second head and that head had asked him the stupidest question in the world,

"Uh ..because Sasuke is my friend and I ain't gonna spy on him just cause you asked me to"

"Well ...someone is going to do it whether or not you agree, so you might as well save us all the trouble and just do it" and with that the old hag (_according to Narut_o) had the audacity to sip her tea calmly like they were just discussing the weather

"But isn't he paying for what he did already?" protested the blond in frustration, " why cant we just leave him alone to get his on with his life"

Tsunade sighed as she put down her now empty cup on Iruka's immaculate glass coffee table, to which the chūnin took her gesture as a visual clue to go put the kettle on , sat up and sighed tiredly

" I only wish it were that simple Naruto. I know Sasuke is your friend and you hate the fact that he is not trusted. But also remember that Sasuke betrayed Konoha before and could very well do it again and trust once broken is hard to win back. " she explained placatingly, "If you want, look at it this way, who better to look out for Sasuke but his best friend . If I'm to be honest, with you you are probably the only person in this whole village who could stop him should things go wrong" she added truthfully, meeting Naruto's searching gaze with her own unflinching one.

She knew she had won the moment he lowered his eyes and let out a long resigned sigh

"I really wish I could have some ramen now"

"Crumpets anyone?"

* * *

><p><strong><em>A few day later...<em> **

**Root HQ**

'Is that so?" offered a contemplative Danzou, indicating, to the bowed man before him, that he was still listening as his subordinate continued to recount what he had found out during the past couple of days since Sasuke's trial .

He had sent for one of his most loyal men, Torune , a skilled ninja from the Aburame clan, and had ordered him to track and spy on Tsunade and Naruto, as soon as he'd learned of the boy's collapse .

In hindsight , it had been a smart move on his part, especially with regards to the meeting he'd attended earlier -which had left him with much to speculate on.

Tsunade had called for an unscheduled meeting with the council and Danzou was inclined to think that it had been no mere coincidence that this meeting was called just a couple of days after the boy had fainted.

Apart from Sasuke's trial, there had not been any pending matters for the council to attend to – well except for talks about the continuous reconstruction of Konoha- therefore he had been more than willing to bet everything that this meeting would most likely be about the jinchuuriki .

Unfortunately, he had never been so wrong in his entire life.

They **had** discussed the boy, but that was only due to him bringing the topic of the boy up.

And as he had deduced , most if not all apart from Tsunade and surprisingly Hiashi, had not been aware of what had occurred to the boy.

However, it was all insignificant for the time being, seeing how the main agenda they'd discussed had left him completely blind sighted,... that is... if he was really honest to himself.

And that just didn't sit well with him

Thinking about what they'd discussed in the meeting Danzou could not help feel that something was definitely amiss. Tsunade had literally dropped a bomb in their midst during the meeting, shocking him immensely... and he hadn't liked it.

Tsunade's er... 'proposal'... for lack of a better term, had left him stumped and with a bitter taste in his mouth.

Not only had it been most disagreeable it had been downright heinous.

There was definitely something not right with situation Tsunade had presented to them.

Something big, to be precise...that left him reeling with pent up anxiety and impatience.

He didn't like feeling anxious and impatient...it was so unbecoming of a leader

Tsunade was hiding something and, following her declaration during their earlier council meeting, that something was not a good thing.

Not if he wanted to become Hokage and protect the village.

Somehow and some way he was going to find out what that something was.

"Torune" he addressed the still bowed man, who had remained silent and still, even though he''d finished reporting everything back to his leader

"Sir" replied the man, his head slightly tilted up to look at his leader, though Danzou could not see his features due to the animal mask he had on.

"I have another important task for you... however, I will be needing Fu's skills as well " Danzou said watching the bowed man contemplatively whilst rubbing his chin absently , "Bring Fu with you tomorrow at midday and I will debrief you. Is that understood?"

"Hai Danzou-sama"

" Dismissed "

And with another bow, man was gone, leaving Danzou alone to formulate a plan.

He **WOULD** know what Tsunade was hiding … even if it was the last thing he he ever did.

_**The Council Meeting (...earlier that day)**_

"_I know you're all wondering why I have suddenly summoned you to this meeting?" Tsunade begins, her golden gaze coolly sweeping across the room, watching the curious faces of her council members ,guaranteeing she has all of their attention._

" _What is it this time?" grunts Homura , in disgruntlement who , as usual , is sat next to an equally sour faced Koharu to the left of where Tsunade is currently standing- which is at the head of the council room's table . _

_He is rather put out with the way Tsunade had dressed him down in front of Konoha's citizens -a couple of days ago - during Sasuke's trial, and has not yet forgiven her, _

" _We had a council meeting only a few days gone and we are not due another one until next week. Some of us have rather a lot of work to do if you must know and we are all not as fortunate as some ,to have assistants who will do all our work for us" he adds caustically with a smirk, wickedly eyeing the blonde woman, taunting her to respond. _

_Nothing pleases him more than undermining their brat of a hokage._

"_I'm sure you do" Tsunade answers rather stiltingly, refusing, with effort, take the the bait, although a hint of strain can be heard in her voice and her fists suddenly clench upon the table she is leaning on, " I am pretty aware of how busy all of you are and I'm genuinely apologetic about the inconvenience caused , however, this news can not wait" she continues , ignoring Homura and his barely concealed menace, turning to address the rest of the council members instead, " Actually , what I have called you all here for, is to-"_

"_Would this meeting have anything to do with the jinchuuriki collapsing after the trial a couple of days ago?" interrupts Danzou, who had rather enjoyed watching Tsunade's feathers being ruffled by Homura. _

_For Danzou, his old team-mate was, at least, good for something._

"_How did y-" Tsunade's startled gaze shifts to the bandaged man, shocked by Danzou's question and clearly unprepared for it - though she quickly schools her expression._

_ As far as Tsunade knows, none of the higher ups, apart from Hiashi who had been with her when she got called to attend to Naruto, had been aware of Naruto's minor episode-_

_-well-not until now. _

_Her eyes narrow as her gaze meets Danzou's- she knows she has underestimated the vastness and efficiency of the Roots Intel network and she should have not been at all surprised that Danzou already knew about Naruto collapsing._

_Thankfully he doesn't know everything and she would like to keep it that way...or they will, without a dout, have hell to pay!_

_However knowing Danzou, Tsunade makes a mental note to keep an eye on the Root leader - and tread carefully with her plan- else all would be lost _

_Unfortunately, she has not been quick enough to school her expression and therefore her initial reaction to Danzou's question does not escape the eyes of the ever sharp and vigilant Koharu_

"_The kyuubi vessel WHAT?" interjects Koharu almost screaming , banging her hands on the table her wrinkled face red with outrage, " Tsunade... what is the meaning of this? Is what Danzou saying true?Is the seal weakening? Why weren't we informed of this? Was it because of the fight with Pain? Is the village under threat? We should have the vessel contained..." she rambles on continously, stymieing any chance Tsunade has, to get a word in and as a result incites worried whispers and murmurs amongst the rest of the council and elders ._

"_ENOUGH" Tsunade finally shouts loudly , fed up and desperate to get some semblance of order as the murmurs and Koharu's rant escalate. Fortunately, her shout is enough to stop the old woman , however she can see that the rest of the council members look worried and agitated... well, all except Danzou and unsurprisingly, Hiashi- the former watching her with a calm and almost smug expression on his face ._

_Damn bastard, thinks Tsunade as she glares at the man , who is sat directly across from her;- how she would love to wipe that self-satisfied look on his face ( well, what she can make of it ,any way ). _

_However firstthings first, she needs to reassure the rest of the council that Naruto is okay or else , if they devided to start sniffing around the boy things could get ugly, pretty quickly_

" _Yes it is true that Naruto did collapse" Tsunade explains placatingly, " and before you say anything..." she quickly adds as Homura tries to interrupt, "it has nothing to do with the seal..."_

_Both Homura and Koharu snort in disbelief, whilst Danzou raises what little of his left eyebrow that is visible, in the same sentiment_

"_... and all it is, is a simple result of fatigue from training" she continues , ignoring the three antagonists. _

_Her answer serves to cause more murmurings, most of them incredulous. _

_She sighs, though not at all surprised by the response. _

_When it came to Naruto, reason normally didn't factor in most people.  
><em>

" _I beg your pardon hokage sama" speaks Inoichi, the head of the Yamanaka clan, " not to sound sceptical or anything, but do you really expect us to believe that Naruto merely collapsed due to training? Does that not seem a little too far fetched to you?"_

_There are murmurs of agreement in the room as well as self-satisfied looks from three particular council members, who are clearly enjoying Tsunade's discomfort._

_Tsunade straightens to her full height and sighs , whilst swiping her face tiredlywith her hand  
><em>

" _Far fetched or not, Inoichi, that is the truth" she finally replies, "It is not the first time this has occured as I'm sure you are all aware. Naruto has a tendency to overdo things. But no need to worry, I made sure to check the boy myself and there was no problem with him or his seal"_

"_How can we trust you to tell us the truth when it comes to the boy hokage – sama?" Danzou persists, stressing on the last word – making it sound like an insult._

"_True," adds Koharu, " when it comes to the jinchuuriki, you are known to lose your head Tsunade..." _

_Suddenly, the old woman frowns, as if she's just realised something; - she narrows her eyes in suspicion "...actually, while we are at it, why were we not informed immediatelty about the jinchuuriki? Are you hiding something?Are you , once again going to put the village at risk for the boy?"_

_Tsunade's face reddens with anger_

"_Might I remind you, yet again Koharu , exactly to whom you are speaking to" she hisses, her voice colder that ice, making the older woman and the others in the room suddenly shiver slightly in trepidation. _

_Koharuin a rare moment of clarity, sudden realises, she might have just overstepped her boundaries. _

_After all Tsunade is not hokage for nothing._

" _I am not on your beck and call and **am** certainly not entitled to inform you of every little thing that happens in MY village!" Tsunade adds, her voice slowly rising in correlation to her temper, " As I mentioned earlier, Naruto collapsed due to fatigue from training - and who knows... probably stress , seeing as his best friend was on trial. I checked on him and he was fine and my word as Hokage should be good enough for you. And how **dare** you question my loyalty to the village. Need I remind you that you are the ones who hounded me constantly to become Hokage in the first place! "_

_There is silence in the room as the council members all look on in shock and fear , as they watch their hokage struggle to gain control of her emotions- heavy bosom heaving up and down in a weirdly hypnotic fashion._

"_Thats all well and good hokage, but it still doesn't answer why you did not inform the council members about the boy. We are , after all entitled to know of anything that could be a threat to the village as this OUR village as well" speaks Danzou, who , apart from a certain Hyuuga, is the only one unaffected by Tsunade''s temper, "in addition, how are we to trust your assessment of the boy's state of health. Regardless of your inarguable talent in the field of medicine, it is too much of a coincidence for the jinchuuriki to collapse suddenly , soon after fighting the leader of Akatsuki. You are hiding something from us." _

_Everyone gapes in shock at Danzou clearly having a death wish, seeing how Tsunade is now fuming with barely contained anger._

_Even Koharu and Homura, who love seeing Tsunade's feather's ruffled, are shocked by Danzou's obstinance as they both can tell Tsunade is on the verge of loosing it. _

_But the Root leader neither flinches nor shifts his gaze from Tsunade's – merely waiting patiently with an infuriatingly bored look on his face._

_But before a catastrophe can strike , rescue comes from a most unlikely source_

"_If I maybe so bold as to speak." a pale , tall man speaks out from where he'd been silently watching events unfold, " seeing as the hokage is the best medic known to the ninja world and does not need any validation from anyone in her diagnostics, if there is any doubt about her words , I feel it my place to inform everyone here that what the hokage says is true as I was present when she treated the boy. I can assure you that his seal is okay. Naruto merely depleted his chakra reserves during his training, which led to his subsequent collapse. I used my byakugan to check his chakra system and everything was in working order "_

_Astonished eyes turn to the man, whose pale eyes do not flinch, under their scrutiny. _

_Two people in the room, are more surprised than the rest as they both know the man is lying- and for the first time that day, one of them Danzou, is left feeling very confused._

_Why has Hyuuga Hiashi just lied for the hokage?_

_Tsunade, who has managed to calm down, due to the shock from Hiashi's words, is also confused but merely thanks the man silently with her eyes- the said man offering the smallest of nods in acknowledgement before returning to his usual stoic expression and blankly staring ahead- a gesture that is not completely lost to Danzo, who catalogues it in his mind for further analysis ._

_ "If that is all" speaks Tsunade, turning back to readdress the council once again, "iI can assume it is okay for me to proceed to the main agenda before I'm once again interrupted?" she asks, her gaze falling mainly on Danzou, who narrows his eyes in displeasure but remains silent despite Tsunade's arrogant smirk at his sudden meekness. _

_He hates losing, _

" _No?" and when no objection is forthcoming, " Well- as I was saying earlier before, the main reason I have called you to this meeting is to talk about the Uchiha"_

_Yet again, there are shocked gasps in the room, including a surprised twitch from Danzou, which does not go unnoticed by Tsunade, whose smirk grows bigger. _

_Even Hiashi looks taken aback._

"_...mainly in relation to one of the conditions he has to fulfil."_

_Tsunade pauses as she lets her words sink in_

"_What about them?" asks Homura, always quick to recover, and also curious. They'd sorted out the whole Uchiha problem for now and he cant for the life of him, understand why they are back to discussing the boy again. _

_It was bad enough the first time._

_The confused eyes of the council members look to Tsunade questioningly and Tsunade knows her time has come. It is now or never._

"_As you are all aware I am distantly related to the Uzumaki clan through my grandmother Mito and great aunt Harumi who were both cousins and married the Senju brothers..." _

_Here Tsunade pauses and scans the room, to make s sure she has everyone's full attention and is more than surprised to see them all engrossed- even Danzou, Koharu and Homura, who are all for once – letting her speak uninterrupted. Even Hiashi seems more attentive, so she continues_

" _As you are all aware, since we practically declared Sasuke Uchiha the most eligible bachelor in all Konoha, there's been utter chaos amongst the young and not so young women of Konoha in a bid to get his attention- andmind you, it has only been two days since the announcement was made."_

_Many nod in agreement to this statement and most if not all look very displeased, especially Inoichi, whose daughter Ino and her best friend Sakura are two of the main forerunners in the weird craze that has struck Konoha's single females, who are all fighting in a bid in woo the Uchiha boy ._

" _And I presume, I would not be incorrect in assuming that most parents and relatives of these women are not at all delighted with their daughters conduct? That is, if any of the complaints I have received in my office in the 24 hours are to be believed?" Tsunade asks, her gaze shifting to fall specifically on the long haired blond man who is looking rather red in the face, " Am I right Inoichi?"_

"_Well I...um...that is to say Hokage-sama" splutters the man , uncomfortable to be put on the spot, as eyes turn to him at the the hokage's direct address. Rescue comes, yet again from Hiashi, who answers for him_

"_Although we voted in favour of Sasuke marrying within the village and procreating to ensure his loyalty to the Konoha, I can speak on behalf of many parents when I say that despite his excellent breeding, lineage and immense power and skills, none of us are willing to part with our beloved daughters to a deserter and a traitor- pure Uchiha genetics or not."_

_Surprisingly, Tsunade seems a little bit pleased with the Hyuuga's answer leading to Danzou, who is watching her carefully, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. _

_However he remains silent , sensing there is more to come._

"_That is what I thought" says Tsunade, her features betraying nothing, "Is everyone in agreement with what Hiashi has said" she asks , scanning everyone's expressions, staying a second or two on her three main antagonists, none of whom protest or agree. _

_However the general consensus in the room is in agreement._

"_Nevertheless, Sasuke has to marry within the top clans, and to a kunoichi nonetheless, to ensure his maximum compliance and loyalty ."_

_At this most of the clan elders look away, Hiashi included, each praying that Tsunade would not pick them to sacrifice their daughters, although most know that none of their children would see it as a sacrifice but the highest honour. _

_But a sacrifice it is- for most of them have had the displeasure of seeing the boy up close; and had sensed his coldness and lack of feeling despite his devastating good looks. And a great sacrifice it would be , and inescapable at that should their hokage ask it of them , as they'd sworn to do all they could to protect their village as clan leaders and council members. _

_The elders can see that any alliance with the Uchiha heir would be an unhappy one, as none could sense a capability of love within him. _

_Even Koharu and Homura look a bit subdued._

_No one could wish such a fate on their offspring._

_Tsunade chuckles as she scans the miserable faces in the room. _

_They are all a bunch of soft hearted pansies after all she thinks, indulgently ._

_It is lightening to the soul to see , how despite their pigheadedness , the elders treasure their young ones. _

_Only one person remains unaffected by it all and Tsunade is not at all surprised. _

_The man is devoid of a heart and any emotions, after all._

" _Cheer up you lot," she speaks, as the depressing air starts to feel stifling, " I'm not going to force any of you to part with your daughters."_

_At this, everyone turn to her confused and a little bit hopeful._

"_What do you mean?" asks Chouza, the Akimichi clan leader, who had yet to speak during the meeting_

" _As I mentioned earlier, I'm distantly related to the Uzumaki clan through my grandmother and grand aunt..."_

"_And?" interjects Koharu, 'helpfully', making Tsunade narrow her eyes menacingly at her_

"_...if you would let me speak, I'll get there" she admonishes irritably, and Koharu ungraciously shuts her mouth, pouting like a petulant child._

"_...as I was saying before I was yet again, rudely interrupted" a pointed glare is thrown towards Koharu, " whilst many of you know of my grandfather's lineage and descendants, which sadly ends with me (here Tsunade stifles a sigh of sorrow), I am pretty sure you are not aware of my great uncle's"_

_Yet again, the room is stunned into silence Tsunade's words._

_Homura, is the first, once again to recover_

"_Everyone knows Tobirama se-I mean- sama and Harumi -sama never had any progeny. He died before they could have any. Plus they'd been trying for years." he says in confusion._

_Everyone's faces mirrors his._

"_Not any that you know of" Tsunade answers calmly, " When Harumi left Konoha due to the grief of loosing my uncle, she did not know she was with child. It was only after she settled in the village of the Hidden Waterfall that she realised she was pregnant. Not wanting her child to grow up hounded for his unique abilities as both Senju and Uzumaki, Harumi decided to remain hidden."_

_There are more gasps of surprise and disbelief._

"_During my years away from Konoha, I came into contact with Harumi , once again. She had recognised me from when I was little . She was old and almost on her death bed but managed to introduce me to her daughter in law and great granddaughter, who was only five at the time. Her son and the little one's parents , who had been shinobi, had died protecting the village from a failed raid of by rogue ninjas.."_

"_That is all very interesting tale of your family's genealogy Tsunade , but can you please get to the point" Homura interjects , having grown weary of the tale._

_Tsunade scowls at him, but carries on anyway_

" _I'd never completely forgotten about them but had simply pushed them at the back of my mind until I recently received a missive from the Waterfall- that is to say, yesterday, informing me of the demise of a woman called Haruhi. Haruhi,if you must know, was my aunt's daughter-in-law and the last remaining relative that my second cousin knew, which in turn, makes me the only relative she has alive. The time I mentioned meeting them was roughly ten years ago, so the child should be about fifteen or sixteen"_

_Comprehension begins grow on the faces of the council members as the implications of the information Tsunade has just given them begins to register._

_A Senju and Uzumaki heir means good genetics and automatic ties to the village. _

_There is also the added bonus of no living relatives to meddle , meaning no ties to hold the girl back. _

_Thety all realise, roughly it the ame time , that Tsunade has just offered them a perfect candidate for an Uchiha bride- and what more, still young enough to mold to the ideals of the village._

_But most importantly, it means no one has to sacrifice their children . _

_It's the perfect solution_

_Almost too good to be true, thinks Danzou as he continues to watch Tsunade. _

_And so unlike her as well._

" _Why would you offer to marry off your only remaining relative to a someone like the Uchiha?"he voices his thoughts, suspicion niggling at him, " It's not like you to do something like that hokage -sama."_

_Tsunade turns to him with a wide impudent smile on her a face, as if she'd been expecting his question, " Because what better excuse is there to keep a close eye on the Uchiha, when he is family? " she answers readily" ... and should he falter or put a foot wrong with what is precious to me, what better justification to completely annihilate and destroy him?"_

_At the iciness and maniacal grin accompanying her last words... for the first time in his life... Danzou truly has reason to fear Tsunade._

* * *

><p><strong>A Week Later: Konoha Gates<strong>

When Sasuke looked into those those cerulean blue eyes, he felt a jolt of recognition, though he'd never seen the girl before in his life. The fact that the red head did not shy away from his piercing, unfriendly glare was also astonishing. Only one other person had the audacity to look at him in the eye with such an insolence glare.

Perhaps this trait was inherent in all Uzumakis.

She was astonishingly beautiful , but somehow did not seem to be aware of it and that served to confuse him further. Girls that beautiful, in his limited and reluctantly gained experience, tended to flaunt it

But the girl did not.

She didn't seem to have an arroganct bone in her body.

In fact, she seemed to be a little bit uncomfortable in her own skin.

Behind her, he caught a glimpse of orange and black jumper, blazing golden hair and eyes almost identical to the ones before him.

He felt a tightness in his chest flare up at the glimpse, but he was quick to dismiss it, returning his focus back to the girl.

Beside her, stood,Tsunade a reassuring and protective hand on the girl's shoulder.

He could also sense Kakashi, Sakura and his pathetic excuse of a replacement Sai, as well as three others standing further behind, nearer to where Naruto stood .

However for some odd reason his eyes kept drawing back to the girl before him.

There was something oddly familiar about her and he once again cursed not having his Sharingan.

Behind him, Neji tensed as well, as if he too sensed something odd.

Oh well, that was not his problem .

All he had to do was pretend to marry the girl and provide a name for her child . He was already more thangrateful he was not going to be forced to continue the cursed Uchiha line.

As far as he was concerned, the Uchiha would end with him, if he could help it.

"Natsumi, this Uchiha Sasuke..." Tsunade said gently to the girl who seemed a little bit nervous,abruptly jolting him from his thoughts, " and Uchiha, this is Uzumaki Natsumi..." she continued , turning her sharp gaze to him, "...your wife."

Sasuke was mildly surprised to note that both Naruto and Natsumi slightly winced, along with him, at Tsunade use of the term

Odd...

Ver odd indeed ...

TBC...

* * *

><p><strong>notes full of love<strong>

Sorry folks it has taken a long time for me to update, life has been hectic and don't get me started on the massive bout of writers block known to man... EVER!

As I promised in the beginning, I will finish this fic even if it kills me, so don't worry if I don't update quickly. And I know lots of people were worried about Sasuke not knowing about Naruto and the baby and I will say this to y'all...Sasuke is not called a genius for NOTHING.

Watch out for Danzo my main man, Karin and of course Madara...Plus more Sai and Neji like you've never seen 'em before (or have... depending on how much fanfic you guys read)

Just wanted to give a shout out to my loyal readers ...who've had the mosty immense patience known to mankind .

I really LOVE you guys.

Seriously...no joke

**AspergianStoryteller** – thanks for the advise on Sakura's characterisation and all in good time my dear, all in good time

**enchanted nightingale** – no...love you

**.Akirakun17** – all in good time my sweet, all in good time – no worries. Sassy-ke, is after all a very clever boy, so is Neji, Sai, Shika...oh it's gna be fun (well for me anyway and hopefully for you too)

**soprano-in-waiting** – Thank you for your appreciation. I honestly cant do it without your support. Much love

**Rosebunse** – Always a pleasure. I understand about the fluff factor and trust me I share the same sentiment. But the way I see Naruto and how I've interpreted his characterisation has him as one who does not even have the capacity to consider abortion- especially as he has been all alone all his life and is desperate to have a genuine bond of his own. I dare say, if the baby had been the kyuubi's and a demon child , I'd still bet all my money that Naruto would have still kept it regardless. But then again, I could be wrong.

MUCH LOVE...

**FallenBleedingAngel** – You betcha it's gonna be intense. Hopefully will have that confrontation up soon!

To the rest of my reviewers , I will reply on to your reviews in the next instalment. In the meantime keep reading and reviewing , would very much appreciate your feedback

Til next time

Au Revoiur my petit pussy cats


	12. Chapter 12

_"Natsumi, this Uchiha Sasuke..." _

"_...and Uchiha, this is Uzumaki Natsumi...your wife." _

* * *

><p>Things were not going very well for one formerly blond boy turned red-headed girl, known by the name of Uzumaki Naruto.<p>

He couldn't **actually** believe he was **actually** going through with Yamato's stupid plan.

His week had already started bad and weird enough...what with having to reveal his embarrassing condition to his 'team-mates' in the secrecy of Iruka sensei's apartment, over hot tea and scones.

As he'd predicted (_and feared_), Sakura had reacted badly to his news;- first laughing it off as a weird joke Naruto was pulling on her, which then turned into denial; the pinkette using all of her extensive medical knowledge to argue the biology of it all.

Fortunately, Tsunade had been on hand to explain and assure her of the truth... adding her findings as proof.

All this occurred , whilst Sai looked on ,silently, withthe most animated form of shock to ever grace the human face... on his usually unemotional visage.

Had the circumstances not been so shitty for him, Naruto would have been celebrating, chuffed to bits at how he had managed to be the first person, ever, to solicit the biggest emotional response from the emotionally and socially stunted raven haired boy.

However, things had gotten worse when Sakura had demanded to know how Naruto had managed to get himself knocked up in the first place and who the other responsible party involved was.

And from then onwards, things got **REALLY** weird,

_**FLASHB****ACK**_

_Naruto tensed as Sakura, who'd been pacing back and forth across Iruka's compact living room, suddenly stopped right in front of him and proceeded to eye him with a narrowed suspicious gaze._

"_Okay out with it" she demanded, her index finger pointing menacingly at him for emphasise_

"_What do you mea-" tried to reply a confounded Naruto, but Sakura cut him off with her next words- _

_-words that had the blond boy choking on air and left the rest of the room gasping in shocked surprise._

"_Who is it ? Who is the father?"_

_The silence that followed was deafening as the question caught everyone, Naruto especially, off guard. _

_Even Sai, who, due to Naruto's shock revelation, had started to resemble a stupefied corpse , turned curiously to Naruto at Sakura's question._

_Naruto's mouth gaped open and closed like a fish out of water, his eyes bugging out like a deer caught in headlights. _

_Despite preparing himself for awkward questions, Naruto had not been ready for Sakura's sudden attack and bluntness._

_ He knew he had had it coming the moment he opened his mouth, but had hoped to ease into that area later on when Sai and Sakura had adjusted to the idea, and when he had an adequate and plausible lie prepared to counter it. _

_However, Sakura surprised him by jumping straight to **that** question and he was blind sighted. _

_All he could do was just gawp at her;_

"_Well then?"_

" _W-we- I..."Naruto spluttered in a small voice as Sakura glared at him impatiently when he didn't immediately answer her, " w-what d-do y-you mean S-sakura-chan...I'm the f-father!" he managed to stammer out pathetically , his gaze falling from her intense one. _

_A sardonic snort from her told him how much she didn't buy his lame excuse._

"_I know you are not that stupid Naruto and I'd hoped you respected me enough not to pretend otherwise," she said in an insulted tone that had him wincing, " you know exactly what I mean. Who is the the **other** father?"_

"_Ah Sakura..." Iruka tried to interject pacifically, " I don't think now is the time to-"_

"_No Iruka-sensei,"a ne'er hysterical Sakura spoke, refusing to be pacified. Something was wrong...something niggling at the back of her mind and she had a feeling she wasn't going to like it, "**NOW** is exactly the time to talk about this. You cant really expect for me to just let it go when my very **male** and very** straight** best friend suddenly tells me he's pregnant" she added as her gaze shifted from Naruto and scanned the rest of the room as if challenging them to contradict her._

_When no one,that is, apart from a surprisingly bemused Sai, could answer her or meet her gaze she turned her focus back on Naruto , who, very suddenly, seemed interested in his fingernails._

"_Naruto...? Is it the Kyuubi's?" she ventured when it seemed like he would never look at her, a little bit apprehensive at the mere thought of what she suggested, being true , " Is that why you don't want to tell me? You know I'd ne-" _

"_No !" came Naruto immediate response -his gaze lifting up to meet Sakura's fiercely; disgust barely concealed at her suggestion. _

_It infuriated him to no end that people automatically assumed his innocent and pure parasite (**he still couldn't think of the thing in his belly as anything but** ) was a result of that evil creature, no matter how justified and plausible it seemed._

"_Well whose is it then?" Sakura raised her arms in exasperation, "I've always thought you were straight(**there Naruto winced**) considering the way you're forever chasing after me. And I think I would have noticed if you were interested in someone else- even a guy. You are so obvious to read and can never keep a secret from me . Plus you're a crap liar." She was rambling now, " So what changed three weeks ago? I mean Tsunade -shishou says you are three weeks gone and I cant think of anything weird or different happening at that time. " _

_Naruto froze at her words and worriedly watched as Sakura paused , her face scowling prettily (**heck he still fancied her, despite being knocked up by her current crush**) in her attempt to try and remember what had happened three weeks ago. _

_He had no doubt Sakura, as intelligent as she was, would come to the same conclusion Kakashi had had, if she realised that Sasuke arriving back at village around the same time Tsunade claimed his child had been conceived was the only different and weird thing that had happened then._

_And surely enough Naruto knew the moment it hit her ._

_He watched as the expression in her beautiful green eyes (**he'd always loved Sakura's eyes the best, out of everything he loved about her**) changed from annoyed confusion to horror. _

_He winced inwardly and closed his eyes as her horrified gaze slowly turned back to him. _

_He couldn't meet it , knowing accusation and betrayal would soon follow. _

_No one else spoke in the room, all too shocked and dumbstruck to say anything._

"_Please Naruto don't tell me it's...S-sa-"Sakura attempted to speak, her voice a broken choked whisper,... pleading with him almost, to say what she thought was wrong. _

_She couldn't get the rest of the name out. _

_Naruto's heart broke at that moment and his head slumped forward on his shoulder. _

_He knew , without a doubt, the girl he loved the most was going to hate him. _

_He'd lost Sasuke and now...because of his recklessness... he was going to loose Sakura_

"_Sakura I-" he tried to speak, but Sakura did not seem to hear him: like she'd shut down and shut him out. _

_Even back when she hadn't liked him, she'd never ever shut him out before._

_And he was astonished to find out that it hurt more that he ever thought it would ._

" _Sak-"_

"_It's mine"a voice, forgotten by all spoke so suddenly , making everyone in the room jump in surprise._

"_What?" exclaimed Naruto, Tsunade , Iruka and Yamato as well as Sakura - all in unison, turning to Sai in confusion._

_The raven, whose full attention seemed solely on the Naruto, captured the blond's gaze calmly and spoke again- his voice steady and strong,_

" _Naruto's baby is mine!"_

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

><p>Now here he was , sat in one of the chairs outside the council room waiting to be called in so he could register his engagement to Sasuke-bloody-Uchiha! Never, in his entire sixteen years on the planet had he envisioned himself doing such a thing.<p>

Just another way for the powers that be to remind him of how awful his life was meant be.

As if he needed reminding!

Next to where he sat, stood Sai , Kakashi (_he'd forgiven his sensei after he'd bought him all -you-can-eat ramen at Ichiraku's and actually paid for it, as an apology for the hospital incident_) and his clone in his original and perfect male form.

He was so jealous of it right now.

It was also very weird, watching it play at being the real him, whilst he tried his best to sit with his legs closed.

Opposite him, sat The Bastard Sasuke, whose gaze kept shifting from his clone then back to him , with a look of nonchalant curiosity showing on his otherwise stoic bastardy face.

There was no need to think nice of the boy since teme was the reason Naruto was playing drag.

Trust Sasuke to be the source of all Naruto's problems; past, present and now future!

To the left of where Uchiha sat, stood Neji- currently Sasuke's bodyguard, who surprisingly had a similar expression to that of Sasuke- though it was only directed at him... well "Natsumi-chan".

It seemed to Naruto, that Natsumi, was a puzzle that the Hyuuga prodigy needed to solve- which, made Naruto uncomfortable when he saw him stare at him.

Plus, Neji's white milky eyes unnerved him.

They bore into him as if they saw through his façade , making him feel like he had no where to hide.

When their eyes met, the Hyuuga's gaze was so intense , Naruto had to look away.

Unfortunately, this gave "Naruto' no choice but to reluctantly shift his gaze back to the statue that was Uchiha Sasuke.

To think the last time he'd seen that stone cold face, had been in the midst of throes of passion- heated and so expressive...so wild...so raw it had made his heart …

-hang on...what the hell was that?

Did he just think back to the night he swore to himself he'd bury and lock away in depths of his mind and never think of again?

Just...What the heck as wrong with him?

Naruto could feel his face burn as memories of that night refused to go back and, instead, started flooding into his mind.

How bloody brilliant!

And just his luck... the teme's gaze suddenly turned back to him at that very moment, their eyes locking onto each other effortlessly and instantly like two polar magnetic ends meeting.

And with that, he was lost.

All of a sudden he felt himself sink into the dark pools that were Sasuke's eyes.

He found he couldn't look away, no matter how hard he tried to.

It was like he was stuck in Itachi's Tsukuyomi- lost and helpless... with no hope of ever escaping.

What was insulting was the fact that the bastard wasn't even using his Sharingan.

And to his disgust and embarrassment , the memories began to escalate, and simply refused to leave despite how hard he tried to will them away.

He could feel his face burn even hotter.

With his new pale complexion and red hair, he imagined he just about resembled a tomato- with all the blushing and flushing he was doing.

A quiet clearing of the throat broke the trance, and thankfully, Naruto was able to lower his gaze away from the bastard's.

He was slightly surprised to feel a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright Nar- Natsumi-chan" a cool and calm voice spoke gently from above him.

He looked up to his left to see Sai looking down at him with what could pass for concern, for the ex-Root ninja.

Realising he had Sai to thank for breaking the weird Ninjutsu (**_denial much_**?)Sasuke had put him under, he gave him a grateful smile and nodded his head to let him know he was alright.

Little did he know , how dazzling the smile he gave the older boy was , or how it lit his pale beautiful face into a glow that transformed his delicate and elegant female looks to almost ethereal beauty - captivating those who looked upon it.

Sai, the recipient of the smile seemed to bask in its radiance- an extremely rare and genuine smile growing on his face to answer back- also transforming his usual cold beauty into something otherworldly.

To those who looked on, the redhead and the raven were a sight to behold as they smiled at each other.

And to a particularly observant silver-haired ninja, two such young men where not happy at all at what they were witnessing.

Interesting, he thought to himself in amusement as he saw a twitch and a small clenching of the fist from the Uchiha , whereas a small frown had appeared on the Hyuuga's usually impeccably calm visage – as both men watched Sai and 'Natsumi-chan' smile at each other.

Interesting indeed.

"What are you bastards all staring at ?" one oblivious Naruto clone asked when he saw how everyone seemed distracted..

"Hn' came the predictable familiar sneer, as black eyes turned to meet cerulean ones, "Dobe"

"Oi teme...!" came the reply, however three pairs of eyes shifted instantly to stare dumbly at the red-headed girl, from whence the words had come from,.

Realising his mistake as soon as the words came out, 'Natsumi -Naruto' blushed fervently, lowering his gaze and instantly tried to rectify his mistake, " I-I mean y-you shouldn't call h-him that. He's my c-cousin after all" he explained meekly, thankful that his Oroike no Jutsu had pitched his voice higher, making it a lot more sweet and feminine than it usually was when he used it .

Chancing a quick glimpse to see if his feigned humility had worked, he was disappointed to see two pairs of eyes watching him, narrowed in suspicion.

Great !

Marvellous!

Less than a day into the jutsu and he was already failing miserably.

How the hell was he going to last nine months?

Fortunately , for him , a masked ANBU , arrived before he could dig an even deeper hole for himself.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Natsumi if you both could make your way to the council room please?" the Anbu spoke, gesturing them in through the doors before them.

As he got up, Naruto was glad when Sai gave him another genuine smile and wished him luck.

Remembering himself he bowed to his teamate and smiled at him back, nodding also to Kakashi who nodded back and to his clone- who had the nerve to wink and smirk back at him.

He turned back to see if Sasuke wanted to go in with him but was surprised and pissed off to see that the bastard had already gone in without him.

Muttering all kinds of offensive curses he could think of at Sasuke , he stomped angrily after him to the utter amusement of Kakashi and the puzzlement of one Hyuuga Neji.

Sai had returned to his usual stoic blank self , whilst clone Naruto started talking about going for ramen.

If Naruto lasted a full day without ruining his disguise and revealing himself , Kakashi swore to himself , that he would officially ask Iruka out properly, regardless of the consequences.

Seeing how Neji was staring after the female Naruto, suspiciously, Kakashi was confident his dignity would be intact at the end of the day.

TBC

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><p>Sorry guys for the long wait , I've getting ready for a wedding and my time has not been my own . However Here is the latest instalment. I'm afraid it's quite short but this was the best I could do with the limited time I have had . Hopefully the next chapter is going to be long. It should be , as there are going to be a few surprises in store for our fave couple!<p>

I know I say this all the time, but I am not really happy with this chapter... I don't think I did the ideas in my head any justice with this , however will put this up and probably edit it when I become more inspired.

Thank you to all those readers who alerted my story. I'm glad you found it worthy of an alert.

Anyway, to my beloved reviewers I didn't get a chance to respond to:

**Rosebunse** : As usual, much obliged!

**Soprano-in-waiting** : No Tsunade is not lying about sharing ties with Naruto-chan, merely stretching the truth a lil' bit. And I said earlier, Sasuke is not a genius for nothing;

and you will definitely find out in the next chapter how binding the marriage is (if there is a marriage that is)

**AyameRose** : They are not married yet, so you never know...

**bookwormqueen7** : thank you. Will try my best to oblige

**Akirakun17** Mmmm, interesting- well technically Natsumi, is Naruto so Sasuke is not cheating really. I will see what I can do for you, though I cant promise anything LOL

(Forgive me if I don't? )

**Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan** -here you go, new update. Hope it is up to you enjoy

**Rikado** : thanks for your nice comment. If I didn't have Sai fitting in the daddy role, I'd definitely would have considered you suggestion.

Could do it for another fic?

But I just think Sasuke needs to learn not to take things for granted. If he isn't careful his replacement wont just be a replacement in name only ...know what I mean. Lol

**kiki2222** : it was never gone dear

**DeityOfDeath** -Here it is. Hope you enjoy

Thanks you everyone for reviewing and keep doing so . Constructive criticism always helpful. Love y'alll

Til next time

(If I've left anyone out, let me know and I will write you a very long , apologetic and thankful message back


	13. Chapter 13: Part A

**For all disclaimers and warnings... see previous chapters and for author's note see end of chap  
><strong>

_Nuff sed ... off to we go..._**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>The Betrothal: Part One<strong>

**Konoha : Hokage Tower;Council Room **

There was a moment of astonished silence when the long awaited pair walked into the room .

It's almost deafening.

Even Danzou, the epitome of an emotionless cold stone, somehow managed to blink rapidly in surprise.

However, it was Koharu's barely there whisper of , ' _Kushina_' that echoed the thoughts of almost every council member present in the room,...well except for Tsunade , who to be honest, had not noticed the resemblance until then.

Subsequently, when she did, she gasped .

For indeed, before them , stomping angrily to stand next to the Uchiha heir, was the ne'er carbon copy of the late Namikaze Kushina nee Uzumaki, the late fourth Hokage's wife!

Even the fiery manner in which the young red-head glared at Sasuke, who was trying (_though in vain)_ to ignore her, was reminiscent of the young female kunoichi who'd been in / famously dubbed Konoha's 'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero'.

It took a while for the girl to notice that every eye in the room, apart from a clearly uncomfortable Sasuke- whose eyes determinedly stared ahead- was on her.

When she did, though, she seemed to remember herself and her surroundings with a start and her demeanour suddenly changed - eyes quickly lowering in deference, as a small blush slowly crept across her pale cheeks reflecting her embarrassment at her unbecoming conduct - immediately transforming the girl from the fiery phoenix she'd resembled mere seconds ago to a meek and subservient mouse.

Thankfully for Tsunade's rapidly rising blood pressure, 'Natsumi's' newly discovered sense of subdued propriety seemed to break the spell that had taken a hold of the council room - though many were still unnerved by the girl's uncanny resemblance to Kushina- leading Tsunade to clear her throat loudly and authoritatively in order to start the proceedings and therefore divert the council's absolute attention and scrutiny from her 'cousin'.

Inwardly she cursed herself for not noticing how Naruto's henge's resembled his late mother – which , now that it had been pointed out to her , was so very obvious.

Regardless of the fact that she'd only seen pictures of the girl-kin her grandmother had literally adopted , she should have known better.

And going by the reaction of the council members , she was actually gob smacked that they hadn't already cottoned on to the real identity of 'Natsumi-chan'.

Natsumi might as well have a had a sign posted on 'her' forehead declaring to all that 'I AM NARUTO '.

Therefore Tsunade offered a quick prayer (_though ninjas are not known to be deeply religious_) to whatever deity that was looking out of them because, despite their obvious mistake , no one seemed suspicious... _**shocked beyond belief?- ** **yes**_ ... and yet, surprisingly clueless

"Lady and gentlemen , allow me to begin the proceedings" Tsunade stood up, quick to start before whatever luck they seemed to have, started running out- which was almost a guarantee, knowing her luck (_her crap gambling being prime example_).

"As you are all already familiar with Uchiha-san, it gives me great pleasure to introduce my kinswoman and my cousin twice removed Uzumaki Natsumi."

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><p><strong>Konoha Hospital: Canteen<strong>

The canteen in hospital was unusually quiet for lunch time... which was just dandy for the type of mood Haruno Sakura was in that day.

Any other day, she would've made an effort to hunt down either Ino or Hinata - or even one of the nin-nurses she was good friends with if neither or both were unavailable; and try and catch up on some of the latest gossip or to just chat .

She usually hated eating alone

But for once, in a very long time, solitude was all she sought .

Therefore, she quickly picked up a bowl of miso soup and a banana, placed them on the tray she'd grabbed on her way in and discreetly made her way to an obscure table situated at the very back corner of the large canteen where she knew no one would bother her.

She sat down with a large sigh, and rather than digging into her food, she proceed to stare at it blankly, her mind miles away.

Or to be accurate, on a certain blond bff officially becoming betrothed to the love of her life whilst pregnant with another man's child.

Since when had her life become such a soap opera? she thought bitterly to herself as she lowered her face into her waiting upturned hands, proceeding to dig the heels of her palms into the sockets of her eyes trying to stem the migraine that was rapidly growing and causing a storm in her head.

And on top of that she was riddled with feelings of guilt and shame.

Despite knowing that all Naruto had and all that Naruto loved was hanging by a very loose thread over a vast and dark unknown chasm... that Naruto was just one step away from complete and utter destruction, his whole life ending – with everything he had and treasured being snatched away from him...

...despite all that...

Sakura still had the vulgar audacity to feel jealous of him.

And the guilt just just ate her up... and yet...

...she remained jealous of the fact that Naruto , as 'Natsumi' was going to live out her dream, however temporarily (_cause it was just temporary...right?_) of marrying and starting a family, however fake, with her Sasuke-kun!

And those feelings of envy and jealousy- above all other feelings of fear, pity, concern and even love, she felt for the most loyal friend any girl could ask for; who'd always supported her and loved her regardless of her feelings for someone who seemed not to know she existed at all- overshadowed everything else, so overwhelming and all consuming, that, it took almost all her will and effort to stop herself from getting up that instant and heading straight to the Hokage Tower and spilling everything so she could stop the sham of a marriage from happening.

In addition, the knowledge that Naruto was not as straight as she thought he was considering the situation he was in , made it even worse.

To her , Naruto had become a rival

As she bent over her rapidly cooling soup and forgotten banana, Haruno was suddenly filled with an unexplainable mind numbing fear.

A fear that...not only was she loosing Sasuke, but Naruto as well

And there was naff all she could do about it without hurting one or the other or both.

However what filled her with fear the most , was she knowledge that despite her her feelings not to do so , she was tempted to.

Because , even though she loved Naruto with all her heart...of this she was sure... she knew deep down , in her soul, that she loved Sasuke more than anything and anyone in the world and that her resolve to make her childhood dream come true had neither faded nor diminished with time.

In fact, it had become a reality, a goal she was set to obtain... a certainty that was as sure as her very own existence.

Sasukewas hers, would be hers and hers alone.

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><p><strong>Konoha : Hokage Tower;Council Room <strong>

'So you are the famous Uzumaki Natsumi?" Koharu was, unsurprisingly, the first to speak, Naruto noted in wry amusement, leading to quite a few murmurs being passed around the rest of the council room as all their eyes fell upon him - again.

The stupid hag was never one to let an opportunity to get the first word in go if she could help it; her caustic creaky voice already grating on his nerves, so much so that he was sorely tempted to behave childishly by sticking his tongue out at her and blow a massive big raspberry.

And he'd done so before, on many many occasions and had always left her, satisfyingly, with a countenance of one suffering from acute constipation- which, at her decrepit old age, was almost a sure thing in regards to her actual constitution.

Fortunately, he remembered in time that he was supposed to be the demure Natsumi-chan and not Naruto, thus acting so would let the whole jig up, so he had to settle for merely nodding his head coyly and keeping his head down cast.

" Well she's not one of many words is she Tsunade?" Homura interjected, always eager to add his own tuppence in, " She's a rather a dull, insipid sort of girl isn't she? Doesn't possess much of the tenacity and spirit of the Uzumaki we are so used to eh?"he added, spitting out the words tenacity and spirit as if they were something vile, tainting his mouth..

Dull?

Insipid?

Naruto was livid!

How dare the old fart suggest he was dull and boring, Naruto raged inwardly as he raised his eye to glare at the bastard .

I'll show you lack of spirit , he thought as he opened his mouth, prepared to cut the old fucker down.

Only Tsunade's warning cough stopped him, in time, from really laying into the ancient codger.

He was really itching to Rasen- Shuriken Homura's smug, wrinkly fossilised face into oblivion but he couldn't because he wasn't Naruto but Natsumi.

So he had to resort to taking in deep breaths to try and calm himself down...

...which was very very hard.

And for the umpteenth time that week, Naruto lamented being in disguise.

Being Natsumi and keeping his temper under control whilst trying to keep his cover from being blown for more than a week was already taking its toll.

He silently wondered how he, in the name of that was good and just in the world, was going to last nine months, let alone the next hour.

" Ah, not so timid are we" continued Homura rather smugly , interrupting his mini internal mental breakdown, leading him to blink at Tsunade in confusion, " you almost had us all fooled Tsunade!" he added turning to face the hokage with an enquiring eyebrow raised.

"I beg your pardon?" Tsunade replied rather shakily, which did nothing to help Naruto's nerves at all, which were starting to go haywire .

OMG, we're done for! It's all over! We're doomed!, thought Naruto as his whole body started shaking.

He knows!

The jig is up, t'was all for nothing after all...

He was so preoccupied with his inner panicking, that he hadn't realised that a cool, strong callused hand had found his own small, shaking, female one that had been dangling uselessly at his side until the owner of the said hand, who had manouvered his position to stand closer to him/her without anyone noticing ,squeezed his/her hand gently and slightly bent his head discreetly towards his/her decidedly shorter female form to whisper softly in his ear, words that made his whole body instantly freeze over with terror.

"Calm down...dobe"

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><p><strong>Akatsuki's Hideout<strong>

_The masked man's laughter echoed throughout the dark cavern long after he'd finished . The other two turned to each other in confusion when they saw him bend his head to wipe an errant tear that had escaped his single visible eye with his left hand, whilst his shoulder continued to shake in silent mirth. _

"_S-so...y-ou're ...telling me t-that S-sasuke has absolutely n-no idea whatsoever, as to the real identity of his...soon to be wife?" stammered out Madara uncharacteristically- reminding the remaining two Akatsuki members of his former persona, Tobi- as he tried , vainly , to contain his vast amusement at the whole weird and complex situation his young clans-man had gotten himself into ._

"_That is, indeed, correct sir" replied white Zetsu, " one of the spores I planted on Sasuke before he left sensed the kyuubi's chakra when he met the girl . She is definitely the jinchuuriki under a henge."_

"_Mmm, interesting" Madara pondered , humour still evident his now controlled voice._

_After a long time of silence , Kisame , who was good at waiting but never really liked it, decided to speak, when it seemed like nothing else was being offered up._

"_So what is the plan ? Is it time to move in on the kyuubi?_

"_No" answered Madara fluidly , as if he hadn't been caught up in his mind, plotting and scheming only mere seconds gone,. " You're to go after the Hachibi"_

_Kisame grinned his many sharp toothed smile, that made him look more like the predator he resembled, at that and Samehada purred at the surge of chakra from the excitement he could sense in his master. _

_The Hachibi's jinchuuriki, Killer B from the village of the Hidden Cloud in the Land of Lightning, was rumoured to be the strongest of all the jinchuuriki and the most in tune with his bijuu. _

_Just the thought of testing his skill against such a powerful adversary and the amount of chakra he could garner from him made Kisame almost salivate in anticipation._

"_When should I leave?" he asked, trying valiantly , to disguise the eagerness in his voice._

_ But the chuckle from Madara and both Zetsus told him his effort was in vain, which was rather embarrassing. _

_Fortunately he wasn't embarrassed for long_

" _You will leave immediately" Madara informed him, " We can not delay getting one the last of the bijuu any longer."_

" _And the Kyuubi?" he asked as an after thought, already planning ahead in his head , his impending confrontation with Killer B._

" _Don't worry about the Kyuubi." Madara replied softly_

"_The boy will be dealt with pretty soon"_

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><p><strong>Konoha : Hokage Tower;Council Room <strong>

After the small scare Homura had given them in the beginning of the meeting , when both Naruto and Tsunade had thought their game was up only for Homura to accuse them of trying to sell 'Natsumi-chan' as a demure , genteel girl when in fact she was a hot head and would be a hard-to-deal-with-and-impose-on firecracker ( _which, in a sense was very true_), the rest of the proceedings went remarkably well...

... all things considered.

Natsumi, as a foreign nin being adopted into 'her' new village was ordered to take a solemn , chakra infused vow to pledge her allegiance to the village, which (for her) was not a huge deal as she'd done a similar sort of vow , as Naruto,when he had graduated from academy, though none of those vows had been chakra infused.

Therefore Naruto merely viewed it as renewing his vows to his beloved village.

Natsumi's easy compliance seemed to shock Homura, much to Naruto and Tsunade secret delight, as he had not believed Natsumi would be so agreeable to the conditions required.

In addition, Tsunade, Kakashi and Yamato, in their many planning sessions, weeks prior to 'Natsumi's' appearance in Konoha, had taken precautions to protect her from being used as a tool of the council by adding a few adjustments to the vows 'Natsumi' would recite in front of them and had insisted Naruto memorise them until he could recite them in his sleep.

Therefore, in her vows, much to the immense displeasure and annoyance of Danzou, Homura and Koharu, Natsumi worded her pledge of allegiance in a manner such that she would conformto the village only with Tsunade, specifically as the Hokage ...

... making Natsumi's conduct answerable to Tsunade and Tsunade alone.

And thus, rendering the council's say, especially Koharu,Homura and Danzou, ne'er invalid when it came to any future dealings with her and making it very difficult for them to try and use the vows to manipulate 'her , if any opportunity arose.

"This is preposterous!" shouted Koharu, banging her fists down the table she was sat at in outrage, once Natsumi had finished reciting her vows with the help Hyuuga Hiashi who was overseeing the sealing of the chakra infused oath as he had done over Sasuke's more private and temporary sealing, " ...you have merely recruited a subject loyal to yourself Tsunade and not the village! What is the meaning of this?"

"I agree" added Danzou, who had remained silent throughout the whole proceedings but seemed unable to contain himself any longer; and for the second time that day surprised everyone present by showing , god forbid, emotions!

And he was as livid as Koharu , though his was a cold rage that chilled everyone to the bone as opposed to her hot fury,

"One cannot help but wonder, Tsunade- _sama_ (_the honorific added as if an after thought and with the intention to insult_) as to your true motives behind all this. Somehow you miraculously find your long lost relative who is, by some _**coincidence**_(_here he sneers_), the ideal match of the very eligible and suddenly available Uchiha; a relative who will suddenly be elevated in status within Konoha by having an alliance with one of it's oldest and most powerful clans. And on top of that, instead of pledging her allegiance to the village, the girl, whose very character is in question as she seems to present two contrasting personalities to be at all genuine, instead pledges her allegiance to you. You must all agree with me ( _here he turns to face the rest of the council_) that this is all very suspicious. And that's before I even mention her resemblance to Kushina!"

At Danzou's rather impassioned outburst , which was a big surprise in itself , silence descended, yet again, on the council room as everyone contemplated the implications of Danzou's accusations.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by the rest of the room, a pale, coarse hand yet again found its way to the small pale hand that was also, yet again shaking in fear, reminding its red-headed owner their current situation was not the only problem she/he had to worry about.

And for the millionth time that day, Naruto saw his life flashing before his eyes.

He was sooooooo dead meat!

( of to part 2)

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

I am really really sorry for not updating in a while. To be honest,I have rather been feeling lazy and couldn't really be bothered with writing at all. But constantly getting support from you lot has made me so very ashamed of myself so I forced myself to sit down , crack my knuckles and get to business. Literally I've just wrote this and I have done a quick proof read but I can tell you now , it wasn't thorough so be you magnanimous selves and just muddle through. If I find any typos and weird phrasings and grammar, I will do my best to rectify the problem. The only urgency is getting this up for you lot so I can get started on part two.

Today I'm not going to go through the reviews coz they're so many of them( which is awesum by the way) but I want to give a quick welcome new reviewers and I will make an effort in the next instalment to honour y'all and the old reviewers as well ( you make my days shine) as well. Please keep the reviews coming. They're literally the only thing keeping this story alive!

Love y'all


	14. Chapter 14: Part B

**Warnings:** same as others

**Author's Note:** Wag-one 'pple, its been a looooong time. Nice to be back and hope you enjoy my installment . Please excuse the grammar and other weird phrasings and nonsensical ramblings. Me tried proof reading but I always miss stuff so I willl post this and continue to edit and refine as I go along . Thank Y'all for your support. I think my muse is back now so hopefully no more long breaks from this baby anymore. Love you alll and keep reviewing so that I can keep writing.

Enjoy

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><p>Part 2<p>

"_Calm down dobe"_

Those whispered words kept playing repetitively in Naruto's mind.

Sasuke knew.

He was busted and everything was in ruins.

He didn't know if he should crumble in fear or embarrassment.

Of course , Sasuke had seen him many times before in his Oroike no Jutsu...

...but that just was it!

His Oroike no Jutsu was just a juvenile perverted jutsu he'd come up with to prank and shock the citizens of Konoha who would've have otherwise not given him the time of day – and hadn't been designed to be actually be used for any serious ninja missions like this.

Not that he viewed this lunacy as actual ninja work, but heads would roll, possibly his, if he got found out .

Which he had been .

Great!

He should've known that he couldn't hide anything from Sasuke even if the latter couldn't use his Sharingan.

The damn bastard wasn't called a genius for nothing.

And if Sasuke had managed to twig on to his real identity, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the council figured out who Natsumi-chan really was.

They were all supposed to be geniuses after all.

When he managed to squirm his rather small hand out of Sasuke's surprisingly warm one(_well not so much surprising as he remembered how warm Sasuke's had been that ni...no no focus Naruto... focus!_) Naruto was almost hyperventilating.

And now that the council were arguing over his vows , he could feel himself starting to grow faint …. which was absolutely horrifying!

Only weak minded and pregnant women fainted over a little bit of stress and one thing Uzumaki Naruto wasn't was weak minded or a pregnant woma- ….oh wait a minute- ….yes he was .

With his thoughts not doing much to help calm him down , Naruto, was on the verge of a full time panic attack when he felt a warm callused hand close over his … yet again.

And in spite of himself, the soft pressure from Sasuke's hand helped ground and focus him.

He felt himself calm down and managed to grab onto his composure.

It irritated the heck out of him knowing that Sasuke had this much effect on his emotions and moods- however this time, he couldn't begrudge him being there.

For what whatever reason only known to Sasuke himself and bound to be no good at all, the teme was helping him .

At first , he'd half expected Sasuke to sell him out or something but was quite surprised when he didn't.

He'd braved a quick glance over at the slightly taller boy (_he'd absolutely refused to make himself shorter when he had transformed himself into a female . There were some things he just wouldn't do . He didn't just go through puberty, well technically was __still__, and praying for a growth spurt to only get rid)_, stood next him.

Sasuke's visage and bearing was its usual impassive and stoic self , so much so, that if it wasn't for the the hand clutching his female self's one, Naruto would have thought himself invisible to the other boy.

As his suspicion over the raven's agenda were minutely mollified, seeing as Sasuke did not seem set to opening his mouth any time soon, he'd forced his gaze away from the other boy and had turned his attention back to the council who were now in the throes of a heated argument .

" I don't see anything wrong with Natsumi pledging allegiance to the Hokage . She is after all the leader of the village and will do what is best for the village! She took an oath and that should be good enough"argued Shikaku, the head of the Nara clan, " Unless, you are suggesting you know something about the Hokage that only you are aware of and the rest of us aren't" he added to the three most vocal protesters, an eyebrow raised enquiringly.

" W-we..ll ...I... never" a scandalised Koharu started to splutter when all eyes turned to her , Danzou and Homura

" Nothing of the sort" interjected Danzou, seeing his companion struggle to answer, "we were merely voicing our concerns and trying to prevent a situation in which the balance of power and democracy within the village could potentially be endangered. I'm sure Tsunade -sama always has the good of the village at the centre of her heart and mind , however there is a saying that goes '_absolute power corrupts absolutely_' . Not only are we placing great temptation in front of the Hokage by making Natsumi-chan answerable only to the Hokage but any offspring that will result as a union between Uchiha -sama and Uzumaki-san would also fall sorely under the Hokage's power and that, my friends is too much power under one individual. Remember this child would be part Uzumaki, Hashirama and Uchiha. You cant deny the potential of extraordinary power there. In addition, this vow rather makes the point of holding council moot , do you not think?"

" Indeed" added Homura, nodding emphatically in agreement with Danzou, " why have council at all if everything is supposed to be handled by the Hokage. We are here to support and ensure that the Hokage remains focused single-mindedly on protecting and governing our village justly without being distracted and I believe this vow is a potential distraction."

Naruto felt the hand clutching his tighten round his almost painfully and turned to look at Sasuke, puzzled at the reaction.

He was , however , astonished (_well maybe not astonished…this was Sasuke after all_) to find his expression as impassive and stoic as it had been since they'd walked into the council room, his dark onyx eyes as blank and unreadable as always.

Naruto found he didn't like Sasuke like that at all.

" All valid concerns," replied the Nara leader, stroking his goatee absently, " however the Hokage has also vowed a chakra infused vow to protect and serve the village and is after all our leader . I have full faith in Tsunade -sama and believe she will do what is right for the village . In any case , the same could be applied to you Danzou -sama and the Anbu Root Sect. One could argue that your position in the Anbu Root makes you vulnerable to corruption, as they are answerable to you and you alone. However , that is not case , am I right? If we can trust you with the Anbu Root, though you have not sworn no oath, can we not trust Tsunade -sama, who has, with the Uzumaki-san and Uchiha -sama?"

It was impossible to miss Tsunade's very ill concealed smug smirk when Danzou conceded and nodded his agreement .

"Besides the vow is irreversible so even if we all disagreed, there is nothing that can be done short of finding a new bride" Hiashi voiced in support, but noticing a glint in Homura's eye he carried on before the other could speak, " which is ne'er impossible seeing how close the deadline for Sasuke-sam to complete his conditions is drawing near. Looking for new bride now would take more time and consideration. And that is what we and Uchaiha-sama do not have" added Hiashi , to which the most of the majority of the council hummed in agreement .

Homura glared at Hiashi , recognising how the Hyuuga had played and beat him to the punch.

" And now that we've got that resolved, any other objections about this young lady as a candidate for Uchiha-sama spouse apart from the fact that she is related to me and that she and I might have and could in the future conspire to take up and indulge in my hungry psychopathic dictatorial tendencies and desire for world domination?" Tsunade asked sardonically , making Danzou , Homura and Koharu scowl in indignation whilst the rest of the council struggled to hide their snickering .

As hers and the rest of the council's attention were brought back to the young pair stood before them, an amused quizzical blond eyebrow was raised at the two that had Naruto remembering, belatedly, of the fact that Sasuke still held his hand in a tight grasp.

He jerked his had away , startling Sasuke who seemed to have also forgotten about it .

The damage, however, was already done .

"I don't think you're going to find any objection from either Sasuke -sama or Uzumaki-san" observed Shikaku, a small amused smile on his face

" Indeed, I believe it might be a case of love at first sight " joined in Chouza , the leader of the he Akimichi clan, which led to most, if not all of the council room laughing and two very red-faced youths hopelessly wishing for the ground to open up and swallow them whole.

* * *

><p><strong>Hokage Tower: Outside Council<strong>

" Nar...Natsumi-chan, may I have a word" called out the raven haired young man at the fast disappearing image of fiery hair and pale skin.

The 'young lady' in question suddenly stopped at the sound, as if frozen by the voice . 'Her' three companions, who'd been waiting outside whilst she's been in the council room, looked at her with concern as she fought to respond , though no words seemed to be coming out of her mouth.

Inwardly , Naruto was pissing himself .

As soon as all the council members had given their consent for the marriage ( _some more reluctant __than others_) and the date for the betrothal and wedding ceremony (_which were all going to occur on the same day much to Naruto and Sasuke's joint horror and disbelief_) had been finalised, Naruto had high-tailed his fake red-haired ass out of there like a horse on fire.

He did not want to confront the Uchiha knowing that Sasuke was aware of who Natsumi -chan really was.

Plus he didn't want to get married to Sasuke... AT ALL!

But , the damn bastard was too damn quick for his own good .

He was right behind him before he could even get away .

Luckily for him, his clone had been outside with the others and had managed to warn them of the Sasuke-knowing-everything situation before he'd' come out.

Never before in his life had he been so grateful for his kage bunshin .

Naruto looked to Kakashi, with pleading eyes that seemed to cry out ' HELP ME'

"Maa , sorry Sasuke-kun" Kakashi turned to the fast approaching raven-haired, a sheepish expression on his masked face, "I'm afraid our ward has had a bit of an overwhelming week you know; what with settling into a new village, marriage meeting and all . It can be quite taxing for a delicate lady's disposition (_taking his cue , Naruto stumbled heavily in Sai and his clone who helped steady him _) so I really don't think now is the right time for a chat . Maybe when she's had time to rest we could arrange something?"

Sasuke, however was not listening to anything his former teacher was saying.

His focus was zoned in on where Sai hand was placed , instead...

Which was on Naruto's bare upper arm!

Despite not having the Sharingan, all Sasuke saw was red.

Not even aware of the fact that he was moving at all, Sasuke marched to where Naruto stood, by-passing a gob smacked (_for once_) Kakashi, knocking an equally surprised Sai's hand away from his 'fiancée's ' upper arm and turned Naruto forcibly to face him, gazing fiercely into his 'stunned and startled ' azure eyes with such heat, that Naruto's alien pale complexion was so red it almost matched his hair

"O-oi...t-t-eme..." Naruto's clone jumped in, spluttering and stuttering in outrage and tried to pry the raven's fingers off his original body's arms, "...t-that bloody hurts teme. Let go of m..."

"NARUTO!"

Kakashi's loud reprimand made everyone but Sasuke jump and Naruto's clone had enough sense to clamp his mouth shut.

"If my fiancée is unwell" Sasuke hissed through clenched teeth , drawing his narrowed gaze away from 'Natsumi' and pining it to Sai's equally narrowed and fiery one, " it would only be sensible that **I,** **_her fiancée_** should accompany her back to her quarters and ensure that she is settled and okay."

"The hell y-.." both Narutos began to protest, but were interrupted by a furious Sai who'd manoeuvred back into Sasuke and Natsumi's personal space , his expression mirroring Sasuke's

"Be that as it may Sasuke-**_sama_**" his voice as cold as ice , startling the two Narutos, Kakashi and Neji, who so far had been watching silently in the background, all staring at him in puzzlement.

This was not how Sai usually behaved,

"Natsumi-chan is, for the time being , our ward and our responsibility. Until such a time **_we_** will see to her every need so if you don't mind... " and in a move that surprised everyone, Sasuke included, Sai suddenly and forcefully grabbed 'Natsumi's' arm from Sasuke and started for the corridor, dragging a stunned, speechless and compliant Natsumi-chan after him.

Quickly recovering from the shock of an emotional Sai, Kakashi nodded his farewells to Sasuke and a surprised Neji , then turned to following the pair who were already at the exit at the end of the corridor.

"Come on Naruto" the copy-nin called to the clone who seemed at a loss as to what to do and had remained rooted to the spot.

But before Naruto's clone could turn to follow his companions, Sasuke suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked him back to him. Naruto's clone lost it's balance at being suddenly grabbed and as it turned- fell face first into Sasuke's arms, his face cushioned by Sasuke's warm and solid chest.

The contact, brought back a flood of memories in which Naruto's face had been in similar position and the clone couldn't stop the flush that crept up it's tanned face.

Before he could recover and release himself from Sasuke's surprisingly gentle hold, clone Naruto suddenly froze at the warm breath in his ear.

A shiver ran down his spine, making him tingle, as Sasuke brought his mouth down to his ear in a surprisingly intimate gesture.

"We need to talk" the raven haired boy whispered, " two bells."

And with that the raven haired let him go and without another word walked past him and headed down the corridor towards the exit.

Shaking like a leaf, clone Naruto barely managed a smile of reassurance to Neji as the long haired Hyuuga hesitated in following Sasuke, his pale gaze full of concern and something else that Naruto couldn't and probably didn't want to understand.

He was still reeling from the emotional roller-coaster he'd been going through since Sasuke came back and Sai started acting weird and he'd found himself pregnant.

So clone Naruto sucked it up and gave Neji his most dazzling smile .

The Hyuuga, returned a small hesitant smile of his own , though he did not seem convinced , and then nodded his farewell before setting off to follow his ward.

* * *

><p><strong>Uchiha Sasuke<strong>

Uchiha Sasuke still did not understand what sick and twisted games Tsunade and Naruto were playing at , but the moment he had realised his betrothed 'Natsumi -chan , was none other that the dobe under his stupid 'Oroike no Jutsu' , he had decided to play along only when he noticed that none of the council members ( _well perhaps Hiashi-sama and Shikaku-san had - but only because those two were incredibly clever and observant_) were aware of who 'Natsumi-chan truly was.

In fact all this could very well end up playing into his grand scheme of things.

So he had decided to watch and observe how it played out.

By some saving grace , Tsunade had not wanted him procreating in Konoha as much as he had/n't and for that he was thankful.

Since the day he'd met his future betrothed , apart from the weird fascination he'd had for her , which now made sense seeing as it was merely his instincts recognising Naruto in disguise, he'd been hounded by nightmares of being tied down to Konoha through family – and therefore not managing to exact his revenge.

So it was great that there was no chance of him ever having children with Naruto should he marry him, even if they tried... not that they would, mind .

That one time had clearly been a mistake and a momentary lapse in sanity...

...and anyway should that lapse occur again by chance, it would be fine since Naruto couldn't possibly bear children.

Not that would ever happen though so there was no issue.

Anyway, he fully intended to continue the Uchiha line , but somewhere very far away from the Leaf and with someone with no connection whatsoever to Konoha .

So this arrangement so far suited him just fine and therefore he kept his mouth shut.

But why did he feel empty when he thought about it?

The betrothal meeting, as he had suspected, had been a bore as well as a great test to his anger management as he had to yet again stand before the councillors who were soley responsible for the destruction of his clan , the death of his parents and brother.

It had taken all his self control not launch himself at them.

Anyway, it would have been a stupid , pointless and suicidal endeavour that would've achieved nothing at all so he'd resorted to tuning them out and letting them talk crap amongst themselves.

Besides he'd rather enjoyed watching Naruto squirm under the scrutinising gaze of the council, from the corner of his eye.

It wasn't until the old fart,Homura started shouting at Tsunade , claiming some nonsense, which in fact was true to an extent, about 'her trying to have them fooled ' or something or the other that he began to pay more attention to what was going on in the room because Naruto or should he say 'Natsumi-chan' started to tense up and began to resemble a deer caught in headlights.

Next thing he knew , he was grabbing Naruto's smaller than usual , but surprisingly rough and calloused hand (_ shouldn't really have been surprising , Naruto was a ninja after all – of course his hands weren't going to be soft_) and words were spilling out of his mouth in a whisper before he could very well stop himself.

"Calm down...dobe"

And it was an emotional roller coaster afterwards.

He hadn't really meant to let Naruto know that he knew until a more advantageous time , however he had come to realise that whenever he found himself within the same vicinity as his blonde... well... red-headed for the time being, ex-team-mate... his self control slipped so quickly sometimes he didn't even realise it was happening.

But that wasn't what was pissing him off right now as he paced back and forth in the his house's rather exuberant and finely arranged front courtyard under the watchful gaze of the ever vigilant and slightly amused-because-it-pisses-of-Sasuke-off babysitter.

Sai!

Now there was Sai!

The new bane of Sasuke's existense apart the elders of Konoha and Konoha itself.

The poor excuse of a ninja who was nothing more than a pathetic attempt at replacing him. The guy , even looked like him, to an extent, which seemed to piss him off even further.

Who the hell was crazy enough to recruit the freak into team 7 anyways?

And the ass had had the audacity challenge him...an Uchiha!

Had the audacity to touch Naruto so familiarly!

To stop him from talking to Naruto!

How dare he!

* * *

><p><strong>Sai<strong>

Uchiha Sasuke!

That name made Sai see red.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't think straight... he was just so …

"...ai!"

...he was so …he was just so...ugh!

"Sai!"

Never before had he felt like this; he was so hot and bloodthirsty and just wanted to rip Uchiha Sasuke's head off!

What was this feeling?

How could he make it stop?

He felt like he was going crazy...

"SAI!"

A sudden jolt in his arm brought him back to reality.

"Sai, you can let go of my arm now" a familiar and comforting voice pierced the red mist that was beginning to clear from his mind.

Slowly he turned and his gaze was drawn to his hand linked to another's.

His eyes trailed up the arm attached to the foreign yet oh so familiar hand that was in his and soon met with most beautiful blue he'd ever seen.

Even he when painted, he could never quite manage to capture or mix the right shade of that special azure that was unique to the eyes that were now locked onto his; the eyes that seemed to be emoting befuddlement and confusion. T

hat much he could tell, even with his lack of knowledge when it came to body language and human emotions.

He was puzzled to see Naruto in his male form because as far as he could remember, he had grabbed 'Natsumi-chan' and had dragged her away from the Hokage Tower and Naruto wasn't allowed to dispel his henge in places where he could be seen.

That is until he saw where they were .

Somehow, without him knowing, he'd managed to get them to " Natsumi's ' quarters – perhaps on auto-pilot, because he simply couldn't remember the journey there.

The rooms were surrounded by special wards set by the Hokage herself and would guarantee safety from Danzou and other spies who would and were attempting to dig up dirt and info on the Uchiha bride to be.

Only certain few chakra signatures were allowed in and those were limited to only the people who knew of Naruto's condition.

" Um... Sai...?" Naruto spoke again, somewhat hesitantly, "...my hand"

Sai looked down at their joined hands and was surprised to see that he still had Naruto's hand in his.

" Oh..." he said rather dazedly , " I'm sorry" he added his gaze travelling to meet Naruto's.

"That's okay..." Naruto replied , giving his friend a big smile, " … today has been a long day for everyone. Clone me and Kakashi should be arriving any time soo..." Naruto's voice trailed away when he felt Sai's hand , instead of loosening, tightening around his.

"Uh..Sa..."

But before Naruto could utter another word he was being yanked forward by the slighter yet taller older male and soon found himself in the exact same position his clone had been in earlier with Sasuke.

"Sai!?" blurted out the blonde ninja in shock and confusion. His blue eyes locked onto onyx pools so reminiscent yet vastly different to another pair he'd gazed into once upon a time and he was mesmerised by what he saw there.

He wasn't at all surprised when he felt them move closer and closer until they were so close that his fluttered closed, as if by instinct.

And he waited

As if in answer, a warm breath washed over his lips , a heady scent of cinnamon, paint and metal... and his lips slowly parted , wet tongue darting out to moisten them.

At that unconscious action, a feral groan left Sai's mouth

"Naruto-kun" an impassioned, almost pained whisper torn from Sai's lips was the only warning Naruto got before he was utterly and completely devoured as Sai 's lips crashed against his with such force and power he was soon overwhelmed.

Even as he was consumed by the cold fire that was Sai's passion, the latter's tongue having invaded, plundered and conquered Naruto's mouth so ruthlessly, leaving him a panting devastated wreck...two word resounded stubbornly in the back of the blond ninja's mind

Two bells...

* * *

><p>Till next...<p>

Thank you everyone for alerting and favouring my story and reviewing . But please dont stop... Much love Pyaari xoxoxo.


	15. Chapter 15

**_Warning: _**_some events are happening earlier than usual i.e. Killer Bee's fight with Kisame .I'm messing with canon a bit here! But, hey, its gotta be done. Also I'mma take some creative license to mess things up a bit, hope I don't put people off too much. Sorry for the long hiatus... RL got in the way. Its gonna get crazy people._

**Konoha Training Grounds**

Naruto had no idea of when he'd reached the training grounds or that he had been standing in them for as long as quarter of an hour!

That is, until the sound of hushed footsteps reached his ears.

Part of him wasn't surprised by the arrival of this particular intruder nor that he'd ended up where he currently stood hunched over hands on knees, trying to get his breath back, as well as fighting hard to swallow his churning innards back in .

Fighting and getting his arse owned!

Being a BOY (t_hough he was finding it rather questionable at the moment_), it was no surprise that Naruto regularly found himself forgetting that he was in the 'family way' and ended up over exerting himself, and as he simultaneously panted and heaved, this moment did not seem to be an exception.

It seemed, as his luck would have it, his 'condition' took quite a toll on even the substantial amount of chakra he had at his disposal.

At the latest of the many check-ups Tsunade insisted on him having, she'd mentioned something about how the b- … no..._**the spawn **_inside him drew half of his and and the kyuubi's chakra to survive.

The irony was not lost on him seeing as some, if not most of his power was curtsey of the other unwanted parasite his body housed.

One parasite gave him its unwanted, tainted power, whilst the other ate away at it.

It was a sick and twisted cycle.

Naruto truly couldn't understand any women who voluntarily put themselves through the horror story he was currently in.

Seriously, carrying another individual within oneself (_no way was he ever gonna use 'pregnant' in reference to his person- __**EVER**__!_) was no fun at all.

Not only had he puked earlier that morning before the betrothal meeting and, at the same time, almost died from a panic attack because never in his life, since forever, had he ever thrown up ( _diarrhoea from over eating or consuming questionable dairy perishable products - yes- but never up chucking_) only for Tsunade to chuckle amusedly when she examined him and informed him, rather sadistically, that it was normal for someone in his 'condition'. Apparently he was right on schedule for a nice bout of morning sickness for the the next couple of weeks, that is if he was lucky.

She went on to scar him with information on how some women suffered morning sickness for the duration of their pregnancy which, ironically, nearly made him hurl again. If his luck or lack there of was as realiable as it usually was he would be one on the few people who would get morning sickness throughout the lenght of his 'condition'.

If that wasn't bad enough she also told him of how he was going to want to pee more and, the horror, grow fat.

In all of his life he'd never been fat!

And he didn't want to start now!

If it wasn't for Sai, who had weirdly insisted on coming to the check-up with him, he would have fainted again.

Weird Sai, awkward Sai, who had held his hand and rubbed his back soothingly as he swooned...no!... not swooney, swayed a little bit.

Sai who was quite nice and handsome...

Hang on... since when had he started noticing Sai looks... or any boy's looks for that matter?

He shook himself mentally... he was digressing,

"What do you want ?" he asked , not bothering to stand as he hadn't quite got his breath yet and to be honest , he still felt rather queasy.

Brilliant , trust his body to be betray him at a crucial point and ignore the morning part of morning sickness.

"Why are you bending over like that?" the intruder's annoying, **grating** voice asked from behind him , with what sounded like concern, if Naruto didn't know its owner was a stone hearted cold ...erm ...fish!

"Are you okay?"

Somehow that question seemed to piss him off, making him rise up rapidly with the intention of turning to lay into and give the arrogant , stupid idiot -face a piece of his mind.

Belatedly , he realised his mistake, as he felt the familiar watering in his mouth and stars playing before his eyes

"Shit" he gasped feeling bile rise from his stomach as he bent over to throw up right on Sasuke's sandalled feet, and for a smug moment , even in the throes of misery as he puked his guts out, he was glad that he was up-chucking his ramen lunch (_proper ramen cause Tsunade had forbidden him from eating cup ramen - the witch_) .

Just for the look on the arse-wipe's face was worth all the indignity and misery of throwing up

"Naruto! What the f..." Sasuke squealed _(yes squealed_) in disgust as he jumped back from the vomiting blond, shaking strings of half digested , smelly throw up noodles from his sandalled feet.

Some of it had gotten in between his toes . .

The raven''s disgust seemed short lived however, to Naruto's dismay, when a few moments later he felt a firm hand on his back , as he dry heaved seeing as he had thrown up all the contents in his belly.

His Ichiraku ramen, gone to waste.

"Get you hand off me,teme" he snarled rather pathetically, weakly twisting his body away from the Uchiha's touch , which made the said boy frown even as he let go.

"Naruto, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked, making Naruto groan in dismay .

He'd forgotten that Neji was Sasuke's assigned bodyguard and had therefore witnessed his shameful up chucking session.

"I'm fine thank you Neji" he answered rather sheepishly, as he turned his gaze away from the intense and worried stare of the brunet- whom he'd just noticed standing behind the scowling Uchiha, both men not seeming at all convinced byhis meek and admitedly weak reassurances..

Spitting to rid himself of the taste of vomit, Naruto trepidatiously straightened, not wanting to upset his stomach again.

Once he felt confident that he was in no danger of throwing up or lord-forbid faint, he turned his body to fully face the Uchiha and his companion, with his arms crossed defensively across his chest.

Whilst he acknowledged Neji with a warm and amiable smile , the Uchiha was not so fortunate .

Even though the last Uchiha (_not gonna be the last soon enough, his mind volunteered unnecessarily_) owned and had perfected the **glare, scowl, frown **and **grimace** down to a 'T', the cold glare Naruto set on Sasuke could have given Sasuke's glare, on a bad day, a run for its money

" So what do you want, teme?"

" Courteous as usual Naruto" smirked Sasuke mockingly, not at all affected by the death glare aimed at him.

In fact it seemed to please him , making the blond glare even more.

Sasuke's momentary prick of conscience and concern seemed to have disappeared leaving the cold viper Naruto had become accustomed to dealing with.

Neji however looked torn between staying in his position or rushing up to Naruto and check if he was okay.

Duty, however won over concern and Naruto , as a fellow shinobi, respected that.

"Not even a hello or good evening? How shameful."

"You know what, I'm not having this!" Naruto huffed , throwing both his handsup in exasperation, " If the reason you've asked me here is to just make fun and cater to you over inflated ego , I'm gonna go cause there are a lot of things I could be doing instead of being here, so-"

" Yes, what are you doing here Naruto?" Sasuke interrupted, mirroring Naruto's stance and tilting his head enquiringly," I remember asking you no such thing"

Naruto gasped , scandalised

" Yes you did" he protested , forgetting that he was about to leave and stormed into Sasuke's personal space and poking the raven -haired boy hard in the chest repeatedly, " You said two bells! Two bells and I came here. I bet you thought I was stupid and couldn't figure it out but I did , so hah !"

Instead of chastened, Sasuke smirk transformed into a shit-eating grin so rarely seen that both Naruto and Neji' immediately felt wary.

His gaze still fixed intently on Naruto, Sasuke spoke words that spread dread throughout Naruto's whole being

"Two bells, huh." he said slowly as if savouring his words, " Forgive me if I seem off , my memory hasn't been the same since the binding, but when exactly did I say this to you Naruto?"

Fucker! thought Naruto . T

hey both knew that itwas Naruto who had been in the betrothal meeting with Sasuke , yet the bastard was not satisfied with just knowing . He just had to make Naruto confess to it.

"Screw you,Sasuke"

"If I remember corectly , you already have "

Neji's shocked gasp was what made Sasuke realise and regret what he'd just said, which is to say, airing his dirty laundry had not been his intention at all.

All he he'd wanted to do was mess with Naruto a bit before he asked him what the hell he thought he was playing at by pretending to be 'Natsumi' .

As far as he was concerned **that event **had never happened and now he'd just gone and blurted it out for the whole world to hear.

However , what really put him to shame (d_idn't know he did shame until then_) was the look of utter devastation and hurt on Naruto's face .

A look he'd only seen once before.

A look he thought he had managed to exorcise only to flood back into his mind at seeing Naruto's expression.

Well, fuck!

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere in the Land of Lighting<strong>

(_extracts from manga. All of the dialogue in this section belongs to Masashi sensei, I just used it for mischief_)

" Shi-no-bi" sang, rather off key, a rather impassioned yukata-clad middle aged man, as he stood on the handle of a gigantic weapon, an axe to be precise, firmly embedded in the trunk of an equally gigantic tree " ...ever concealed, crying silent tears... "here he choked, clearly overtaken by the barrage of emotions the song evoked in him

However as quick as he was overcome with his art, he was quick to recover, raising his head to face the human individual of his two companions.

The other, Ponta, being a giant raccoon the size of a moderate two storey house , lounged behind him, with a put upon, weary expression on his face

"You cannot simply sing," Sabu, the yukata-clad man ,continued dictating to the man stood before and below him, "...Enka is an expression of one's heart and soul!"

The other man totally enraptured by the lesson, nodded enthusiastically in agreement . Satisfied with his student apparent appreciation and attention, Sabu puffed himself up and continued with the lesson.

"Now! See if you can match me"

Killer Bee, ever the enthusiast- a man who just went with flo and rhyme, nodded his assent, emphasised with a fervent thumbs- up-

"Sure thing, man!"

-and proceeded to rap the song rather badly (_well seeing as Sabu's singing had a lot to be desired, __Bee's rapping was even worse and that was rather a massive acheivement _)

**_Shi No Bi_**

_Sneaking about,YEAH_

_Escaping from death..._

**…****_...(_**lyrics are forgotten so, what does one do?**_)..._**

_**YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH! **__ (t_hen strike a pose !_)_

( followed by silence + the sound of crickets)

In fact, his rap was so bad, the other two were literally struck dumb with shock. Sabu had to shake himself from the stupor Bee's rap had put him in.

Ponta was still under and took a while to recover.

"You do not have the passion ! The PASSION!" the criticism from Sabu came , accompanied by a pained and pitying expression aimed down at his misguided student, "Are you not taking the song too lightly?Do you not think so? Do you not see?!"

"Passion?"echoed a contemplative Bee.

Sabu was onto something here.

Seeing as the yukata clad man was his senpai when it came to the performance arts, it would do well for him to take heed to any advice he gave , that is , if he wanted to improve his rapping skills.

It was also helpful to listen to the person helping him hide from an over protective bro.

Just because other jinchuuriki were being spirited away left ,right and centre, did not mean that he had to have guards 24/7.

He was too cool to be baby-sat

"Yes! Passion" replied a hyped Sabu, "As the name suggests, Expressing the world of song through you passion is the very core of Enka! And melodic embellishment. You must form the the notes in your chest and circulate them with your nose!"

However, before he could elaborate to his nodding student , Ponta began to growl behind him.

"What is it Ponta?" he turned in askance to the giant raccoon.

* * *

><p><strong>A Little Village a Few Miles From Konoha<strong>

Suigetsu ran down the street as fast as his legs could carry him. Although it was still the crack of dawn, the main street of the village-town they were in was already busy (_damn farmers and their penchant of waking up with the cockerels_)

It was even worse because ,of all days, today had to be market day , he thought dryly

"This is not good, this so not good" he mumbled to himself as he dodged past people with wagons and carts full of merchandise .

He had to get back to the inn before disaster struck.

Fortunately for him as soon as he turned a corner , almost knocking down a man overloaded with materials upon materials of cloth for whatever purpose, he could see the inn before him.

He didn't even stop to offer the cursing man an apology.

Usually, despite his occupation as an individual of the villainous sort , Suigetsu was normally a polite young man.

No need to be rude just for the sake of it - _**that rule obviously excluded his dealings with Karin; the cow always had it coming**_- and he tried to not aggravate people unless he was working.

But there was no time for politeness. He had to get back before all hell broke loose.

As soon as he arrived at the inn, he dashed straight for the stairs to go to their rooms, which were situated on the second story.

However , before his feet had made the landing ,an ear piercing screech hit him so hard his eardrums almost exploded.

Damn!

He was too late!

He heard the slide of the door to his and Juugo room and saw the red-haired giant peak his head out and stare at the door opposite with worry.

Great another disaster waiting to happen, Suigetsu thought dismally, seeing as they and the other occupants of the rooms on the second floor of the inn, whose heads also peaked out at the scream, could hear things smashing and angry shouting from the room opposite theirs.

Well, at least he could avert this disaster before it happened .

"Juugo, I suggest you take a long walk somewhere quiet" he said to his companion who was now beginning to look a bit agitated by the angry screams and noise , "I'll tell you all when everything's calmed down, okay?"

The giant, who thankfully had thought to dress before he got up, gave him a grateful nod and hurried passed him to make his way down stairs to the back garden of the inn, which was quiet, peaceful and fortuitously far away from their rooms and the noise of the town.

He would be fine there.

Looking down at the newspaper in his hand, Suigetsu gave a huge sigh. If only he'd made it back in time to stop Karin from getting a copy. The front headline story read;

**'LAST OF THE UCHIHA CLAN, UCHIHA SASUKE-SAMA TO WED UZUMAKI GIRL'**

'Oh Sasuke,' Suigetsu thought with a sigh ,followed by a wince as something else smashed in Karin's room, 'what have you done'.

Suigetsu , however did not have the luxury of following that thought as the neighbours and the landlord began to complain to him about the noise Karin was making .

To think,his day hadn't even started yet and it was already going down the pits.

Might as well get a practise in dodging he thought, as he cautiously made his way to Karin's door and opened it

* * *

><p>tbc...<p> 


End file.
